Pirates in the Port set to bring music and maritime spirit to city centre
THE PIRATES in the Port Sea Shanty Festival is set to return to Newport this spring, raising funds for three vital lifesaving services.
The free event will take place at the end of May, with leading shanty and folk bands performing across venues throughout the city centre.
Organised by Cwmbran-based band Bois y Bryn, the festival follows the success of last year’s Newport event and a previous shanty celebration held in Barry in 2024 to mark the 200th anniversary of the RNLI.
While entry is free, attendees are encouraged to make donations, with funds supporting the RNLI, Wales Air Ambulance and Severn Area Rescue Association (SARA).
Doug Hopkins, one of the organisers, said bands from across the UK and overseas would be travelling to Newport for the weekend.
“The whole city gets involved; there is such a great atmosphere and there is music every hour. This year we are also being supported by the City Council,” he said.
After launching the festival in Barry, organisers moved the event to their hometown of Newport last year, where it was warmly received.
“The local pubs and bars have really embraced the event, so we are back again,” Doug added.
“If you visit places like Cornwall, festivals like this are quite commonplace. I know Newport is the last place you would expect sea shanties, but it really works.
“Visitors have been so complimentary about what we are trying to achieve here.”
Fifteen venues are taking part, including the Corn Exchange, Le Pub, Fire & Ice, Hogarth’s and the Riverfront Theatre. More than 50 bands are due to perform, among them The Beach’d Buoys, Steam Town Shanty Crew and Wrecked Again.
Co-organiser Stephen Morris said the timing of the festival, during the second weekend of the summer half-term, had helped secure a strong line-up, including bands from Cornwall and Devon.
“Most shanty events obviously have a nautical theme, and therefore the focus is often on fundraising for the RNLI, which is a brilliant cause,” he said.
“But we wanted to include other charities like Wales Air Ambulance, which takes emergency medicine to the patient, wherever they are in Wales.
“SARA is also one of the beneficiaries. It’s a volunteer-run search and rescue charity operating lifeboats, flood response, and land rescue across the River Severn region.”
Wales Air Ambulance is a consultant-led service that delivers hospital-standard treatment at the scene of an incident and, if needed, transfers patients directly to the most appropriate hospital. The charity relies on public donations to raise the £13 million required each year to keep its helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road.
Its crews work alongside the Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service (EMRTS), providing advanced critical care including anaesthesia, blood transfusions and minor surgical procedures at the roadside.
Last year’s Pirates in the Port festival raised more than £2,000 through bucket collections, and organisers are hoping to surpass that total this May.
Rob Coles, Head of Retail and Community at Wales Air Ambulance, said: “We are looking forward to what is going to be a music-filled weekend in Newport.
“The Pirates Sea Shanty Festival is a free event and wonderful at drawing in the crowds. But it has a deeper purpose, supporting lifesaving services like our charity, the RNLI and SARA.
“Events like this are so important. Every pound raised makes a huge difference and helps save lives.”
