Ilfracombe Shanty Festival

Ilfracombe Shanty Festival A treasure trove of music and revelry, a free to attend event, hosting over 35 performing bands.

Ahoy there shipmates! Our cabin boy, Harry is modellin' the Shanty Festival t-shirt (he be wearin' a size Medium). All...
15/05/2026

Ahoy there shipmates! Our cabin boy, Harry is modellin' the Shanty Festival t-shirt (he be wearin' a size Medium). All the bands are listed on the back!

If you fancy grabbin' yerself a tee, get yer order in now.

👉 https://forms.gle/UvswFRfoLwpRjUBh9

We yell out a mighty roar of thanks to the Ilfracombe Men's Shed, who have built our amazing Shanty Jukebox ready for th...
09/05/2026

We yell out a mighty roar of thanks to the Ilfracombe Men's Shed, who have built our amazing Shanty Jukebox ready for the Ilfracombe Shanty Festival. It just needs painting and details.

Visitors can give it a spin at the Prince of Wales pub on Fore Street and the band will play what it lands on!

So, what songs do you think we ought to consider having on the Jukebox?

Update: Sadly Lynmouth Shanty have had to withdraw, but we do have more of The Harry Browns!Now that all the bands are c...
05/05/2026

Update: Sadly Lynmouth Shanty have had to withdraw, but we do have more of The Harry Browns!

Now that all the bands are confirmed and announced, we are delighted to announce the full programme with all the venues throughout the festival.

Added to this, the Prince of Wales pub on Fore Street will be hosting our Wheel o' Shanty - our very own Shanty Jukebox.

This is where you will find some bands hanging out between their sets. Simply put a donation in the pot, spin the wheel and the band will sing whatever it lands on!

Adding to our amazing lineup we have Barrel Seagals and Bassline.Barrel Seagals have been performing only since 2023 and...
04/05/2026

Adding to our amazing lineup we have Barrel Seagals and Bassline.

Barrel Seagals have been performing only since 2023 and it was straight in at the deep end as their debut performance was broadcast on BBC as part of the King’s Coronation celebrations from around the country. Now they have hit the heady heights of Ilfracombe!

Bassline is an accapella singing group for men that meet weekly in Marhamchurch., singing a variety of songs, enjoying a good laugh and entertaining the public from time to time.

What kinda festival are you hosting if you don't have the infamous Pilchard the Pirate performing? Yes, this familiar f...
02/05/2026

What kinda festival are you hosting if you don't have the infamous Pilchard the Pirate performing? Yes, this familiar face is sailing in from Cornwall. He's known for his long-standing work behind the scenes as an organiser, fundraiser and all-round supporter of good causes – always at the heart of the action and never far from the spirit of the event!

More legends to add to our list of performers; The Harry Browns of Bristol are possibly the UK’s most longstanding purveyors of sea shanties and songs of the sea. They have been performing for over thirty years and have sung at many major maritime festivals across the UK and Europe. So, we are delighted that they have included us in their calendar.

The legendary (in their own words 😉) the Towpath Singers of the Kennet and Avon Canal will be bringing traditional & ori...
30/04/2026

The legendary (in their own words 😉) the Towpath Singers of the Kennet and Avon Canal will be bringing traditional & original folk songs (and perhaps a few shanties?).

Another motley bunch from Avon are the Tawny Shantymen from the maritime village of Pill near Bristol, who sing songs of the sea.

The epitome of how shanty crews start, Wrecked Again is a group of friends from Cockwood in Devon who enjoy the social s...
28/04/2026

The epitome of how shanty crews start, Wrecked Again is a group of friends from Cockwood in Devon who enjoy the social side of shanty as well as the songs.

From the southwestern tip of Cornwall, Sudden Squall are blowing in! This dynamic trio deliver entertaining and invigorating renditions of sea shanties and Cornish songs, old and new.

We've had some sauce; we've had some hooligans; so now we are bringing you some Wonkey Donkeys! Clip-clopping up from To...
26/04/2026

We've had some sauce; we've had some hooligans; so now we are bringing you some Wonkey Donkeys! Clip-clopping up from Torbay, the Wonky Donkeys. Their name comes from a story connected to the local Marldon Apple Pie Fair - you'll have to ask them about that!

From Brixham we have the Harbour Buoys; some of the crew play guitar and mandolin which blend with their male voice choir voices.

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Ilfracombe

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