The historic tea clipper Cutty Sark will ring out with traditional sailors' songs when its annual Sea Shanty Festival returns to Greenwich, London, on Saturday, 21st November 2026.
The event celebrates the vessel's 157th birthday, bringing together maritime folk musicians, shanty groups and enthusiasts for a day of performances, talks and communal singing aboard the celebrated 19th-century sailing ship.
First staged in 2021, the maritime festival has developed into an annual gathering celebrating the working songs once heard aboard merchant sailing vessels.
Maritime Music Aboard a Historic Clipper
This year's programme features Cutty Sark's resident shanty groups, Swinging the Lead and The HogEye Men, alongside The Silver Darlings, Upping the Shanty, Sonny Brazil, the London Sea Shanty Collective and the Queer History Club Choir.
Beneath the Clipper: The spectacular Dry Berth beneath Cutty Sark's preserved hull provides an atmospheric venue for the Sea Shanty Festival, where maritime music and the ship's 157-year history come together. Photo: National Maritime Museum
Musician Mark Braby will also give a talk on sea shanties, while visitors can join group singing sessions at 1.30 pm and 5.30 pm.
Performances will take place on the ship's Tween Deck and in the Dry Berth beneath the preserved hull, with the programme repeated in morning and afternoon sessions.
Keeping Shanties Alive: Sea shanty performers celebrate the maritime singing tradition at Cutty Sark, where the 2026 festival will bring together established groups and enthusiastic audiences for a day of music and communal singing. Photo: National Maritime Museum
Preserving the Songs of Sail
Merchant seamen traditionally sang sea shanties to coordinate physically demanding tasks, including hauling ropes and operating capstans. Their call-and-response structure helped crews work together, particularly aboard large sailing ships.
Built in 1869, Cutty Sark was among the last great tea clippers and later became associated with the Australian wool trade. Today, preserved at Greenwich, she provides a tangible link with the era when sailing ships depended on large crews working together under canvas.
The festival runs from 10 am to 6 pm and is included with Cutty Sark admission. Tickets are available for 10 am or 2 pm entry, and morning visitors can stay all day.
