Our region’s seafaring history will be on display in St. Martins next summer during the inaugural Fundy Sea Shanty Festival.
The international event will feature sea shanty performances, workshops, meals, a pirate parade, and children’s activities.
Gary Caines, artistic director for the festival, said St. Martins is the perfect spot to hold a celebration like this.
“With this connection to the sea, a number of the houses in St. Martins, the oldest going back to 1810, were built by shipbuilders and sea captains. It’s steeped in heritage,” Caines said in a phone interview.
Caines said the idea for a sea shanty festival in the community is something he has been kicking around for a few years.
But he said the recent revival of sea shanties thanks to “The Wellerman” remix by Scottish singer Nathan Evans really brought his idea to life.
“A lot of people think they understand sea shanties and they know shanties, but they don’t. There’s so much more to it,” said Caines.
“So a big part of this festival is to educate people as to what shanties were about and to have fun doing so.”
Caines said a number of musical groups have already committed, including The Yarmouth Shantymen from Nova Scotia and Pressgang Mutiny from Toronto.
Events will take place in the Village of St. Martins with the possibility of pop-up events throughout the region.
Several sponsors have already jumped on board, including Envision Saint John, Port Saint John, and DP World Saint John. The event is being hosted by the St. Martins & District Chamber of Commerce.
“The purpose of sea shanties was to create a sense of community and shared purpose,” Capt. Chris Hall, interim president and CEO of Port Saint John, said in a statement. “Together we are bringing a truly unique event to the Fundy village of St. Martins, New Brunswick.”
The inaugural festival will run from Aug. 12 to 14 and Caines said the full schedule will be released in the spring.
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