Tall Ships Erie returns Aug. 25-28 with seven sailing ships and the World's Largest Rubber Duck scheduled to appear in Presque Isle Bay.

It's the first time the festival has been held since 2019, but the delay was not due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is scheduled every three years.

If you plan on going, here is the information you need to know to enjoy the family-friendly event.

This year's festival:Tall Ships Erie 2022 festival to feature returning ships, Bayfront attractions for families

The festival starts Aug. 25 at 4 p.m. with the Parade of Sail as the ships enter Presque Isle Bay. The festival grounds will be open Aug. 26-28 from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day, and will be located at the foot of State Street, the Erie Maritime Museum and the Bayfront Convention Center.

Ticket prices range from $10 for a single-day pass to $199 for a VIP pass. Single-day and weekend passes offer access to festival sites, dockside viewing of all tall ships, live music and entertainment, seminars and other activities.

Deck tours are part of the VIP pass and are also sold separately. Day sails are sold separately and only some of the ships will offer them.

To purchase passes, visit tallshipserie.org or go to the Erie Maritime Museum gift shop, 150 E. Front St., during normal business hours.

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Parking near the festival grounds will be limited. Portions of Holland Street, State Street and Sassafras Street Extension will be closed to the general public during the festival. Festival attendees are encouraged to park in downtown Erie and take a shuttle to the festival.

Tall Ships organizers have met with the Erie Metropolitan Transit Authority and will likely have eight shuttle buses operate during the event, compared to four shuttles in 2019. This is expected to alleviate long waits during busy times, said William Sabatini, executive director and fleet captain of the Flagship Niagara League.

You can hop on one of the free shuttle buses that will ferry people to and from the festival grounds. Shuttles will operate from 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Festival hours are from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily. The shuttles will pick up and drop off passengers at downtown Erie parking garages, and the Park & Rides near Liberty Park and at West 12th Street and Lincoln Avenue. At the festival, they will stop at the Bayfront Convention Center, Dobbins Landing and Holland Street Pier.

There will be no parking on festival grounds, except for handicapped parking and VIP parking, both located at the Convention Center.

The following ships will be part of the festival:

Only the U.S. Brig Niagara and Lettie G. Howard, which will be docked at the foot of State Street, will be available for day sails. The others, which will be docked either at the Bayfront Convention Center or Erie Maritime Museum, will be open for deck tours.

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The Kids Zone will be located inside and outside of the Erie Maritime Museum, and it will include a large bouncy castle, Sabatini said.

The medical area will be located at Dobbins Landing, Sabatini said. Banks of portable toilets and sinks also will be located at Dobbins Landing, as well as the Erie Maritime Museum and the Holland Street parking lot. Public restrooms will also be available at the museum and the Bayfront Convention Center, 1 Sassafras Pier.

Also known as Mama Duck, it is a 61-foot high, 69-foot wide and 79-foot long inflatable that weighs 31,000 pounds. It will join the tall ships for the Parade of Sail, then will spend the festival on display in the harbor area located directly behind the Erie Maritime Museum.

It will be joined by a smaller inflatable known as Baby Duck.

Quack, quack:World's Largest Rubber Duck returning to Tall Ships Erie for 2022 festival

Spectators can gather at the North Pier, the South Pier, along the Erie bayfront as far west as the Erie Yacht Club, the bluffs along Front Street, and along the bay side of Presque Isle State Park.

The Tall Ships Erie Parade of Sail: Where are the best spots to watch?

Contact David Bruce at dbruce@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ETNBruce.