Shanties Festival

For 36 years running, Kraków has hosted this salty sea shanty festival with so much success that it has spawned an astounding twenty other shanty festivals across Poland. In addition, this festival has risen to become not only the most important celebration of maritime music in the country, but the largest in all of Europe—which is quite an accomplishment for a land-locked city in Central Europe. Attracting salt-creased sea dogs, selkies, and sirens from across the continent, the biggest stars of sea songs will be performing four days of concerts, plus a raft of workshops, photo exhibitions, and other accompanying events.

Foreigners need fear not—while many of the performers are Polish, there are plenty of international acts as well; not to mention the strong inherent connection to the oral and musical traditions of Ireland and Scotland that are evident in the nautical scene. Concerts this year will be held at the Main Square, KS Studio, Radio Kraków Studio S5, (Al. J. Słowackiego 22, I-1), and Kijów.Centrum Cinema (Al. Krasińskiego 34, H-3).

Check out this year's programme of bloody pirates and sea wenches:

Thursday, February 22nd

Friday, February 23rd

Saturday, February 24th

Sunday, February 25th