The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum has always been an integral part of New York City’s Fleet Week celebration, and its absence was certainly felt in 2007 and 2008 when the ship was away for renovations. To celebrate its return as the focal point of a week-long Fleet Week celebration that took place from May 20 – 26, 2009, the Museum put together a schedule of events and attractions that was bigger and better than ever before.
Intrepid visitors were treated to Broadway performances by the casts of Wicked, STOMP and South Pacific, as well as the U.S. Navy band and USO Troop concerts on the brand new, park-like Pier 86. The complex also served as the battleground for the popular Tug of War, Stem to Stern Relay and Best Chow crew competitions.
Military displays from all branches of the armed forces, as well as the Museum’s annual Memorial Day ceremony on the flight deck of the Intrepid and the unfurling of a 100-foot long American Flag, rounded out the week’s events and paid tribute to the men and women currently serving in our armed forces and those we have lost.
Roughly 50,000 visitors came aboard the Intrepid during the seven-day span of Fleet Week, with a record-breaking 11,000-plus on Sunday alone. This record lasted just one day, as it was broken on Monday with 12,211 visitors, a new all-time high for daily attendance at the Museum. Additionally, more than 200 Museum memberships were sold during Fleet Week.
Austin & Williams was honored to be a part of the Intrepid’s Fleet Week success, and proud to have helped promote awareness of the events, the Museum, and its mission to New Yorkers and tourists alike.