Several thousand people to attend Ocean Race in The Hague

Several thousand people will gather in The Hague on Sunday and the following days for the Ocean Race, the largest sailing race in the world. The penultimate stage of the race ends in Scheveningen. The first ships are expected to arrive between 1 p.m. and 3:30 p.m on Sunday. King Willem-Alexander will also be present.

This year, The Hague is acting as the stop-over location for The Ocean Race. During the stopover in The Hague, there will be races in the harbor of Scheveningen. There will also be performances, sailing simulators, and shopping possibilities. Until next Thursday, the ships and their crews can be visited free of charge at the Scheveningen quay and during the in-port races off the coast, according to the organization’s website. Next week the sailboats will start for the last leg. They will then leave Scheveningen and set course for the finish line near Genoa, Italy.

The organizers and the municipality of The Hague have taken measures due to the expected heat. For example, visitors can tap free drinking water, and sunscreen is available at a first aid station. Through the public address system, visitors are urged to drink enough and seek shelter.

The last edition of the sailing race ended in The Hague in June 2018. At that time, around 88,000 people watched the finish line, and the entertainment program attracted more than 200,000 visitors.

In August, the world sailing championship will be held off the coast of Scheveningen.