Yarmouth Festival of Sea Songs

Started in 2018, this small free festival has an emphasis on songs of, and relating, to the sea, and those who earned their living from and on it.

Next festival dates are 23rd to 26th May 2025.

The 2024 festival is now over and we just want to put out a massive thank you to all the performers, volunteers, the stage crew, our suppliers and everyone behind the festival. We are of course exhausted but elated that it all went so well, the weather behaved itself, the audiences were great and we hope that we will have raised a decent amount for the NCI to enable them to continue providing the service they do at the Needles – we’ll find that out later.

Meantime we just want to say that there are only 3 copies of the “Songs of the Sea from the Isle of Wight” book left – you’ll find those at Medina Bookshop in Cowes.

Enjoying the sun and the music

Background:

Started in 2018 by Chris Waddington with the help of Mike Butler, Chris Beane, John Smith and several other enthusiasts, it has grown in reputation, if not in size, ever since. The festival is located on a green opposite the ferry terminal in Yarmouth, with a large field behind which is used for car parking. The nature of the site means we run the festival as an open, free, event.

The festival is funded entirely by donations and collections and is run entirely by volunteers. Peformers give their time and talents freely as well. Each year is run in aid of our local National Coast Watch Institute branch (NCI) which not only receives donations from the proceedings of the festival, but its members have become an integral part of the running of the event.

Presentation of a cheque for £4,500 to NCI at the Needles Watchstation

We also receive support from Wight Link Ferries who aid us in transporting our mainland performers, for which we are immensely grateful.

Currently the festival is organised by a small group of half-a-dozen enthusiasts and is supported by the Yarmouth Harbour Commission (who also provide the land on which the festival is run) and a number of other organisations and individuals who kindly ensure that our costs are met each year.

We set out to make our performers as happy as possible, the stage is run by a back-stage support team and front-of-house sound team, all volunteers. All the sound equipment is donated.

View from back-stage

In 2023 with the help of great friends Dave and Anwyl Williams, Mike published a book of sea song that relate to the Island. More details can be found on the separate Sea Songs Book page. The proceeds from sales of the book also go entirely to the NCI and we sold over 100 copies at the festival last year.