About

Cutty Sark hosts its third Sea Shanty Festival! 

In celebration of Cutty Sark's birthday, shanty bands from across the UK unite in singing traditional maritime working songs on board the iconic tea clipper.

Programme:
The Silver Darlings 
An all-female sea shanty crew hailing from Southend-on-Sea in Essex. They sing shanties, songs of the sea and ditties nautical. They love the story-telling aspect to shanty-singing and are passionately committed to ensuring that these songs remain in the public domain and are not lost at sea! 

The London Sea Shanty Collective  
Recently returned from international Shanty Festivals in France and Germany, the London Sea Shanty Collective continues to keep shanties and songs of the sea alive and relevant to today, arranging traditional songs, sometimes with a modern twist, and expanding the repertoire with their own compositions. 

They sing at festivals and in national institutions, in pubs, clubs and care-homes, in churches and cathedrals and on barges and ships, and, most notably in the case of the magnificent Cutty Sark, under them too. 

As a non-auditioning community choir, they're open to all and made up of women and men of all ages from around the world who are committed to social justice, equality – and the joy of singing. 

The HogEye Men 
With almost 20 years' experience as a group singing shanties and maritime songs to audiences around the country, including a monthly residency on Cutty Sark since 2019, The HogEye Men are respected as London's primary exponents of these unaccompanied working songs from a past age. The group blends strong voices and subtle harmonies to give audiences a taste of the true nature of the traditional shanty form, while also offering them a selection of more up-to-date tales of the sea.

Swinging the Lead
The Cutty Sark's resident sea shanty singers since 2011 will once again be on-board to inform and entertain visitors in learning and appreciating the working songs of the tall ship era. All have sea going experience, including sailing on tall ships and a keen interest in the sea and maritime matters. 

Pagoda Arts
Our Guzheng and Erhu duet brings 2000 year old music to a 21st Century audience. Since 2006, Zi Lan started to teach Guzheng at the Pagoda, her students have performed in festivals, music clubs around Liverpool, Warrington and North Wales. This performance will feature Fishermen Singing at Night - a traditional piece about fishermen returning home after a long day of work. you will also hear folk sea and river songs from various provinces of China.

Sailor Knots  
Do you know your knots from Hitches and Bends to Bights and Loops? John, one of our Ship Explainers, will help you learn this key aspect of seafaring. 

* Suitable for all ages and abilities.