40th International Sea Song Festival Shanties 2021

Thursday, February 25, 2021 - Sunday, February 28, 2021

  • Thursday, February 25, 2021 - Sunday, February 28, 2021

Online Celebrations

Back in 1981, when a handful of fans from the “Szkwał” Maritime Youth Club came together to sing and listen to sea songs, they could have hardly expected that they were giving rise to a beautiful tradition. The posse grew in popularity over the years, and the – undoubtedly landlocked! – capital of Małopolska welcomed growing numbers of visitors from all over the globe. This year’s International Sea Song Festival “Shanties” is crossing another boundary: due to the pandemic, and thanks to state-of-the-art technologies, the 40th anniversary festival is held entirely online. Between 25 and 28 February we make virtual visits to Warsaw, Gdynia, Szczecin and Świnoujście, and join forces with seadogs from Norway, the UK, Russia and the US.

Over the four festival days we will see seven concerts performed by acclaimed shanty and folk singers. On 25 February we head to The Port Tavern, on 26 February we explore Immense Oceans, on 27 February we moor In Port, at the Quay, and on 28 February we immerse ourselves in classic shanties from The Lonely Frigate and sing together during the finale concert Onboard Sailing Ships. On 27 and 28 February, the youngest mateys sing together with the Klang and Zejman & Garkumpel ensembles. Events will be streamed on Facebook and YouTube.

The programme also features memories, exhibitions of archival photos and film screenings. All events are free, but please make a donation if you can – all funds help to finance the festival. (Bartosz Suchecki, “Karnet”)

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