Saint John’s first sea shanty festival “Spring Tide Shantyfest” will be held in the city’s uptown area from Thursday, March 20 to Saturday, March 22.
Fundy Sea Shanty Festival is organizing the event in partnership with Envision Saint John and the Hilton Hotel.
Artistic Director Gary Caines is excited to offer an event to celebrate Saint John’s seafaring and shipbuilding heritage.
“I want to keep those stories and songs alive. There’s only two festivals of this kind in Canada. We’re one and there’s only one other in North America”, Caines said.
Here are some of the performers that will be at the event.
- Bytown Sea Shanty Collective from Ottawa
- Dram and A Draw from New Brunswick
- Before the Mast from Saint John
- Còrsa, a Celtic group from Fredericton
The Spring Tide Shantyfest will include seafood chowders, workshops and historical lectures. The venues will be Steamers Lobster Company, Trinity Anglican Church, O’Leary’s Pub, and the Hilton Hotel. Tickets go on sale on Dec. 10, 2024.
“We have a lecture called Women at Sea. Many people think it was a ‘boy’s only’ club at sea during the age of sail, but a lot of women were at sea as well”, Caines said.
You can find more information here on Fundy Sea Shanty Festival Website.
