List of maritime music festivals is a sortable incomplete list of regularly occurring festivals, throughout the world, which feature or which usually contain significant performances of maritime music, a style of folk music largely based on the sea shanty. This list may have some overlap with list of folk festivals and list of early music festivals.
Shanties had antecedents in the working chants of British and other national maritime traditions. They were notably influenced by songs of shanty repertoire borrowed from the contemporary popular music enjoyed by sailors, including minstrel music, popular marches, and land-based folk songs. The music has since appeared at early folk festivals, and by the late 1970s, the activities of enthusiasts and scholar-performers at places like the Mystic Seaport Museum (who initiated an annual Sea Music Festival in 1979) and the San Francisco Maritime Museum established sea music—inclusive of shanties, sea songs, and other maritime music—as a genre with its own circuit of festivals, record labels, performance protocol, and so on. Some of the performances may be held at maritime museums, in conjunction with boat shows or maritime festivals, or at other venues friendly to acoustic music.
The performances at festivals can take several forms, as shanty performances today reflect a range of musical approaches and tastes. There are performers who favor a "traditional" style, who often perform work songs a capella or only with light instrumentation typical of sailors (e.g. concertina). A great many of the performers of shanties do so in what might be distinguished as a "folk music" style, often accompanied by guitar and banjo. Still other performers come to shanties from backgrounds in pop, rock, or theatrical music, and perform in what may be called a "contemporary" style. Some shanties are performed in a "classical" choir style (like the Robert Shaw Chorale).Sea Shanties, Living Stereo (1961)Songs of the Sea, Columbia (1956)
Related lists and categories
The following lists may have some overlap: List of music festivals List of folk festivals List of early music festivals List of Celtic festivals
The following categories are related: :Category:Music festivals :Category:Maritime music festivals :Category:Maritime music :Category:Folk festivals
Festivals by location Location (country, city)TimeFestivalDebut yearAssociated organization(s)LinkFrance, Paimpol Festival du chant de marin 1989Germany, StadeOctober, 3rd weekendStader Shantychor-Festival Stade Aktuell GmbHNetherlands, GiethoornSeptember De Slag op 't Wiede Netherlands, RotterdamSeptember, 1st weekInternational Shanty Festival NorwayJune, 1st weekendLangesund International Shantyfestival 1991Poland, KrakówFebruaryInternational Sea Songs Festival, "Shanties" 1981LiverpoolOctober first WeekendLiverpool Sea Shanty Festival2014Shanty UKUnited Kingdom, FalmouthJuneFalmouth International Sea Shanty Festival A fundraiser for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution United Kingdom, Brancaster StaitheSeptemberBrancaster Staithe Sea Shanty Festival2021A Sea Shanty Festival raising money for the local RNLI and Coast Watchhttps://brancasterstaithe-shantyfest.co.uk/United Kingdom, HarwichOctober, 2nd weekendHarwich Shanty FestivalEllesmere PortEaster of each yearEllesmere Port, Shanty UK, Gathering.2011Shanty UKGloucester, Gloucestershire27–29 May 2016Gloucester Shanty Festival 2016A fundraiser for the Severn Area Rescue Association providing Lifeboats on the River Severn United States, San Diego, CaliforniaJulySea Chantey FestivalMaritime Museum of San DiegoUnited States, Mystic, ConnecticutJune, 2nd weekAnnual Sea Music Festival1979Mystic SeaportUnited States, Portsmouth, New HampshireSeptember, last weekend inPortsmouth Maritime Music Festival 1999–presentMarket Square, Portsmouth, NHUnited States, Chicago, IllinoisFebruary, 4th weekChicago History MuseumChicago Maritime Festival Chicago History MuseumCanada, Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, Quebec3rd week of AugustFête des Chants de marins de Saint-Jean-Port-Joli1998–presentLa COFEC, Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, QChttp://chantsmarins.com/en/
Festivals by date The following table is a selection of the European event calendar remso.eu - Shanty- festivals with more than 4 performers (groups) only. All reported festival-events up from 3 groups you can find here: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020. Click on date below to watch participants of that event and listen to some of their songs.
days1st year2017yy/mm/dd2018yy/mm/dd2019yy/mm/dd2020yy/mm/ddFestivalOrganizergroupsaudienceLocation (country, city)FebruaryFry-Sun17/03/03-0519/02/22-24Deunen & Deinendeunendeinen.nl16NL-1600 EnkhuizenMay1 May199918/05/0119/05/01Maritimer FrühschoppenShanty-Chor Eilshausen05D-32120 HiddenhausenChr.Himmelfahrt199517/05/2518/05/1019/05/30Friesischer FrühschoppenShanty-Chor "Die Luttermöwen"05D-33334 Gütersloh-IsselhorstJuneSat, Sun199317/06/03-041. Juni-WE18/06/01-0319/05/30-02Internat. Shanty-Festival-SeelzeShanty-Chor-Lohnde102'500D-30926 SeelzeSun200018/06/0319/06/02Shantychorfestival Shanty-Chor MK Kamen/Bergkamen05D-59192 BergkamenJulyFry-Sun201317/06/30-0218/07/06-0819/07/05-0720/06/26-28Shanty-Festival TravemündeKulturbühne Travemünde gUG3860'000D-23570 Lübeck-TravemündeFry-Sun17/06/30-0218/06/29-0119/07/05-07Festival MaritimTourismus Service Großenbrode12D-23775 GroßenbrodeAugustFry-Sun198917/08/11-13no19/08/02-04noFestival du chant de marinAssociation "Festival du chant de marin"160145'000F-22500 PaimpolOctoberSat, Sun17/10/14,1518/10/13,1419/10/12,13Stader Shantychor-FestivalStade Marketing und Tourismus GmbH17D-21680 Stade
Outdated
2015mm/dd2016mm/dd2017mm/dddays1st yearFestivalOrganizergroupsaudienceLocation (country, city)February15/02/2016/02/26-28Fry-SunDeunen & Deinendeunendeinen.nl16Netherlands, Enkhuizen16/02/25-28Thu-Sun1981Intern. Sailors' Songs FestivalKrakowska Fundacja .. "HALS"Poland, KrakówMarch15/04/03Good Friday16/03/26-27-28easterFry-MonSea Shanty FestivalNational Waterways Museum, Shanty UK06 ?United Kingdom, Ellesmere PortMay15/05/10MuttertagSunSoltauer Shanty-FestivalSoltauer Shantychor e.V.05Germany, Soltau15/05/14Himmelfahrt16/05/05HimmelfahrtThuShanty-Festival am MuseumshafenMuseumshafen Büsum e.V.08Germany, Büsum15/05/14Himmelfahrt16/05/05Himmelfahrt17/05/25HimmelfahrtThu1995Friesischer FrühschoppenShanty Chor "Die Luttermöwen"062'500Germany, GüterslohLothar Kache15/05/25whitsun16/05/16whitsunMonShantyfestival BrummenShantykoor "De Ijsselboei"Netherlands, Brummen15/05/17SunLandes-Chortreffen "Zwei Küsten - ein Norden"Kurverwaltung Insel Poel05Germany, Insel Poel15/05/22Fry-SunGloucester Shanty Festivalgloucestershantyfestival.co.uk/28United Kingdom, Gloucester15/05/3016/05/28SatShantyfestival WinschotenShantykoor Maritiem Winschoten11Netherlands, Winschoten15/05/30SatRegge Coast Shanty FestivalShantykoor "Die Regghe Sangers"10Netherlands, HellendoornJune15/06/0516/06/03Fry-SunLangesund Intern. Shanty FestivalLangesund Mandssangforening14Norway, Langesund15/06/061. Juni-WE16/06/04-051. Juni-WE17/06/031. Juni-WESat, Sun1993Shanty-Festival-SeelzeShanty-Chor-Lohnde102'500Germany, SeelzeRolf Zikowsky15/06/06-071. Juni-WE16/06/03-051. Juni-WEFry-Sun1980Shantys zum Vegesacker HafenfestVegesacker Hafenfest e.V.04Germany, Bremen15/06/12Fry-SunBravour Shantyfestival / HavendagenZeemanskoor Bravour07Netherlands, Woerden15/06/12-1416/06/17-19Fry-SunFalmouth Intern. Sea Shanty Festivalfalmouthseashanty.co.uk5325'000United Kingdom, Falmouth15/06/122.Fry Jun16/06/102.Fry JunFry-SunDahmer ShantychortreffenKurbetrieb Ostseebad Dahme13Germany, Dahme15/06/142.Sun Jun16/06/193.Sun JunSun2012Tag der Shanty-ChöreVerkehrsverein Rheingrafenstein e.V.05Germany, Bad Münster am Stein-Ebernburg15/06/19Sat, SunRosses Point Shanty Festivalrossespointshanty.com/22Ireland, Rosses Point15/06/203.Sat Jun16/06/18-193.Sat JunSat, SunTag der ShantychöreNordseeheilbad Cuxhaven GmbH16Germany, Cuxhavenno16/06/25every 4. yearSatShantyfestival MaritiemShantykoor de Admiraliteitssjongers?Netherlands, Dokkum15/06/264.Fry Jun16/06/244.Fry JunFry-SunShanty-Festival TravemündeKulturbühne Travemünde gUG40Germany, Travemünde15/06/28SunScholtenhagen-FestivalLionsclub Haaksbergen12Netherlands, HaaksbergenJuly15/07/112.Sat Jul16/07/092.Sat JulSat, Sun2007Shanty-Festival CarolinensielShanty-Chor-Carolinensiel071'200Germany, WittmundGerhard Sander15/07/122.Sun July16/07/102.Sun July17/07/092.Sun JulySunFestival der Shanty-Chöre SteinhudeWunstorfer Shanty-Chor06Germany, Wunstorf15/07/12SunShanty-Festival HudeShanty-Chor Hude05Germany, Hude15/07/18every 2 yearsnoSat, SunShanty-Festival des Altländer SCAltländer Shanty-Chor e.V.12Germany, Grünendeich15/07/19SunShantychortreffenShantychor "Reriker Heulbojen" e.V.06Germany, Rerik15/07/24Fry, SatShantys und Me(h)erDie Warnemünder Jungs ?10Germany, Rostock-Warnemünde15/07/24Fry-SunShantykor Festivalcaroline-s.dk08Denmark, Svendborg15/07/31-021.Sat Aug16/08/05-071.Sat AugFry-SunFestival MaritimVegesack Marketing e.V.14100'000Germany, BremenAugust15/08/0216/08/07Sun2015Shanty-Festival auf dem FischerfestRheinisches Fischerfest Gernsh.GmbH07Germany, Gernsheim15/08/082.Sat Aug15/08/132.Sat AugSat2013Shanty-Chortreffen der SeeteufelMusikverein "Seeteufel" Halle e.V.04500Germany, Seegebiet Mansfelder LandAnnelore Schöllner15/08/09Sun2011Shanty-Open AirShantychor Geeste e.V.08Germany, Geeste15/08/12Wed-SunMelodien der Meere (Sail Bremerhaven)Stadt Bremerhaven31Germany, Bremerhaven15/08/14no?Fry-Sun1989Festival du chant de marinAssoc. "Festival du chant de marin"160145'000France, PaimpolJulie Aoura15/08/16SunInselfest SteyerbergShantychor Nendorf05Germany, Steyerberg15/08/2816/08/26-28Fry-SunIntern. Shantyfestival 'Bie Daip' Stichting Bie Daip34Netherlands, Appingedam15/08/28-2916/08/26-28Fry, SatShanty- und Seemannschor - FestivalShanty-Chor Insel Usedom e.V.06Germany, Usedom15/08/29SatShantyfestival in StadskanaalShantykoor De Noszélie Singers10Netherlands, Stadskanaal15/08/13-1616/08/17-2117/08/16-20Wed-Sun 1998Festival du Chant de marins Saint-Jean-Port-Joli10 15000Canada, Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, QCSeptember15/09/04Fry-SunInternationaal ShantyfestivalStichting Shantyfestival Rotterdam23Netherlands, Rotterdam15/09/04Fry-SunVliegende Hollander FestivalStichting Shantyfestival Zeeuws Vlaanderen15Netherlands, Terneuzen15/09/05Sat, SunShantyfestival11Netherlands, Delfzijl15/09/11-13Fry-SunTreffen der Shantychöre07Germany, Zingst am Darß15/09/12SatShantyfestival te LeeuwardenLeeuwarder Shantykoor05Netherlands, Leeuwarden15/09/13SunShanty & Seasong FestivalHavenkoor Fortitudo12Netherlands, Willemstad15/09/13SunIntern. Shanty and Seasong festivalStichting Shanty Cultuur Emmen07Netherlands, EmmenOctober15/10/03-04Liverpool Sea Shanty Festivalshanty.org.ukUnited Kingdom, Liverpool15/10/03SatShantyfestival NorddeichNorddeicher Shantychor 2000 e.V.05Germany, Norden15/10/03SatShantyFestival Spijkenisseshantyfestivalspijkenisse.nl/10Netherlands, Spijkenisse15/10/09Sat, SunHarwich Intern. Sea Shanty FestivalThe Harwich Intern. Shanty Festival17United Kingdom, Harwich15/10/17-183.WE Oct16/10/15-163.WE Oct17/10/14?3.WE OctSat, Sun1994Stader Shantychor-FestivalStade Aktuell GmbH17Germany, StadeManfred Höftmann
Gallery
See also
Sea shanty List of music festivals List of folk festivals List of maritime music performers List of maritime museums in the United States
References
External links Maritime Music Directory International Since 2021 the MMDI has been a comprehensive index of maritime-themed musical acts, venues and events, band members and recordings. Hart Backbord contains a comprehensive list of forthcoming festivals across the world. The Bitter End contained a comprehensive list of forthcoming festivals across the world. The website owner, Alan Hardy, stopped updating this site in 2009. shantyfreun.de list of European shanty-choirs and groups.