The fourth National Sea Shanty Festival takes place at the National Waterways Museum in Ellesmere Port over the Easter weekend (18-20 April 2014).

Over 3, 000 visitors are expected to visit the Festival during the weekend, and visitors will be able to explore the National Waterways Museum, listen to the shanty singers during the day and find out more about the seafaring traditions of the North West.

Coinciding with the Annual Boat Gathering at the museum, the Shanty UK festival brings together nearly 100 performers in seven different venues within the museum for three exciting days of singing, concerts, boat trips, museum tours, nautical poetry, puppet-making, face painting and much more.

According to Julia Batters of Shanty UK, the Festival is designed as a fun event for the whole family. Julia said: “The UK has a long tradition of sea shanties and maritime singing and our annual Festival is helping to keep this tradition alive for future generations.”
The highlight of the Festival is two concerts taking place within the museum on Friday and Saturday nights, which feature a number of acts from across the UK and Europe.

Entrance to the National Waterways Museum for the Sea Shanty Festival and Annual Boat Gathering costs £6.50 for all three days (10am – 5pm). Tickets for the evening concerts are £10 each night and can be reserved online at www.shanty.org.uk/our_festival