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Festival Of Sails

New Dates Announced For 2017 Festival of Sails

The 2017 Festival Of Sails will be held over 21-24 January, 2017.

The earlier date is designed to secure a consistent calendar spot for the Festival in January each year. It will also enable the much-loved sailing event to run across a minimum of four days of competitive sailing. The date change will also increase opportunities for ‘on’ and ‘off’ water activities outside of the formal regatta.

The 2017 Festival of Sails kicks off an unprecedented 9 day feast of sporting action on the Geelong waterfront, which will conclude with the internationally-lauded Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race.

Festival of Sails Chairman, Peter Alexander said the growing relationship between the two hugely popular Geelong events created a unique offering for sports lovers and the community from January 21 through to January 29.

“We’ve now moved our event into an effectively fixed slot a little earlier in January. This offers the real bonuses of being closer to the timing of the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race and concludes well clear of families preparing to get children back to school,” he said.

“We believe this change will appeal to ‘Sydney to Hobart’ competitors to now consider sailing in Geelong and along with a raft of new additions to our program, we’re confident that the Festival will become bigger and better.”

The Festival of Sails sees a feast of first class racing as Australia’s finest sailors battle for trophy honours on Corio Bay and more than 100,000 people flock to the Geelong foreshore for the live entertainment, market stalls, family activities and carnival atmosphere.

The 2017 Festival of Sails, presented by Rex Gorell Land Rover, will be held from Saturday, January 21 to Tuesday, January 24.

Royal Geelong Yacht Club will once again host the traditional Australia Day festivities and fireworks display on Thursday, January 26.