Port Isaac Shanty Festival 2024
Over the weekend of April 19th – 21st Port Isaac will once again host its amazing FREE music festival celebrating the songs of the sea.
Forty-nine sea shanty groups and musicians from far and wide will be performing around the village, with a large marquee and main stage set up on the playing field at the top of the village (by the car park) and acts also performing in the Village Hall on Trewetha Lane, the Old School House, St Peter’s Church, The Golden Lion and The Mote amongst others. Wherever you are in the village over this wonderful weekend in April, you will likely be able to hear a rousing chorus of voices echoing between the cottages and around the lanes surrounding the harbour. It will be like stepping back in time to the age of sail when these songs would be sung on tall ships and heard in ports all around the world.
Port Isaac’s own Fisherman’s Friends
What Is a Sea Shanty?
Sea shanties are traditional folk songs that originated on-board large sailing ships in the 19th Century, such as the packet ships and clippers. They are work songs often based upon a “call and repeat” pattern led by a shantyman who was employed to lead the crew in a rhythmic chant to synchronise them as they performed heavy manual tasks such as weighing the anchor or hauling on lines to set the sails. Most shanties are sung in English, although given their trans-Atlantic nature there are French shanties and many that originated on the Eastern seaboard of the USA. Popular through the 1800s, they began to die out towards the end of that century as steam ships increasingly replaced sail.
Sailors working onboard the 'Parma' from the collection of the National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
Who Will Be Performing at Port Isaac Shanty Festival in 2024
There is an amazing line-up of singers, shanty crews and musicians scheduled to perform at this year’s event. Port Isaac’s own Fisherman’s Friends will of course close-out the festival with a show on the main stage on Sunday evening (as well as an intimate gala performance at the Village Hall on Friday evening, which is now sold-out). Other acts to watch out for include the incredible Femmes de la Mer, The Barnacle Buoys and Acapella Monnshine, to name but a few. Just take a look at the full line-up below!
Sea Shanty Workshops at the Festival
Alongside the free performances taking place there will be two workshops running on both Saturday and Sunday. At the marquee on the main festival site you can join a “Find Your Sea Legs Shanty Workshop” between 10.30-11.30am both days run by The Aukland Shanty Singers (cost £7 per person). At St Peter’s Church professional harpist Lucy Bishop will be leading a workshop teaching you how to play a sea shanty on a harp, followed by a short performance. Instruments are included and the cost is £5 per person, with workshops taking place at 10.30 on Saturday and 11.30 on Sunday, and the possibility of additional sessions if the first ones sell out. Lucy’s “Learn a Sea Shanty on the Harp Workshop” sessions need to be booked in advance.
Femmes de la Mer
The Port Isaac Shanty Festival is a free event, so there is no need for a ticket or tickets, other than for the workshops. The festival raises money for the improvement and upkeep of Port Isaac Village hall, and there will be opportunities to donate at venues throughout the festival. It’s an amazing weekend to be in Port Isaac, with the whole village buzzing and alive with the sound of song.
With our selection of self-catering properties in and around Port Isaac, some of which still have availability for the weekend of April 19th – 21st, you can book your stay and be within walking distance, and earshot if you leave the windows open, of some amazing and atmospheric maritime music.
