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Held biannually in North West France, the Paimpol Sea Shanty Festival (or, Festival du chant de marin) is a popular event for European boat and music lovers alike. Attracting thousands of tourists, music fans and boat aficionados, the festival is unlike any other and will once again take place over a three-day weekend during August 2019.
In this feature, we take a closer look at what to expect if you head over to Brittany to enjoy the sights of Paimpol’s port.
Every two years, the harbour at Paimpol plays host several hundred boats, mostly old ships showcasing traditional designs made from wood. Their crews come to shore to take part in lively festivities including an infamous and sometimes boisterous ‘crews dinner’. After the meal, the start of the festival is announced with a foghorn concert.
It is a vibrant and colourful weekend of maritime merriment that delights sea dogs of all ages and from all different European nations.
As well as offering visitors the chance to see a fine collection of classic vessels gathered together in one place, the festival is also centred around the tradition of the sea shanty. A culture that is rich in the tradition of storytelling, mariners have long been associated with the retelling of tall tales using the unique medium of the shanty song.
Shanties were useful not only for keeping morale up on long voyages but were so chosen because their distinct rhythms were essential for keeping time and synchronising the movements of crew on board a ship. Whether this was to keep a steady beat for rigging or rowing, the shanty was at the heart of every working vessel, no matter the longitude.
Of course, whilst in harbour, shanties continued to play their role in entertaining the crews and the folk on land who gave them hospitality whilst ashore.
And, as already mentioned, they were also a treasured part of maritime folklore and a way to pass on the stories of misadventures, heroic tales and discovery.
Though this rich heritage no longer plays a role in the lives of seamen, the festival celebrates the roots of this tradition and stages many musicians across several of the town’s venues to keep the shanty alive.
Though based in France, the Paimpol Sea Shanty Festival embraces these seafaring songs from across the world and is one of the only places you can enjoy this kind of entertainment; Falmouth is another with their next Sea Shanty Festival taking place in June 2020.
In all, there will be more than 160 acts performing around the town of Paimpol over the three day event plus numerous stalls and stands selling local produce, gifts and souvenirs. A great day out for the family, the organisers make sure there are plenty of activities to keep children entertained. And all this is in addition to the spectacle on the waters as hundreds of boats gather to pay homage to this unique maritime tradition.
The Paimpol Sea Shanty Festival is held every two years with the next event taking place over three days between 2nd and 4th August 2019. You can find a full program of events including show times via the official Paimpol Festival website.
Paimpol is a commune in the Brittany area of the North West of France. It is easily reached from either the ferry ports of Saint-Malo or Roscoff on this coast of the country.
You can buy tickets to the various events being held at this year’s festival via the official website along with further details about what’s on and where.
You can also follow the event’s organisers on social media using any of the links below:
