Despite being many miles from the ocean waves, Krakow will host its 29th International Festival of Sea Shanties this month.

Between 25th and 28th February, Poland’s capital of culture will welcome music groups and performers from across the world to pay homage to the big blue and the world of old ships.

After relatively humble beginnings in 1981, the festival is now one of the biggest shanty celebrations not only in Poland but also in Europe. Every year people from all over the country – and from further afield – drop anchor in Krakow to sing about sea adventures and voyages.

Acting Director of the Polish National Tourist Office Bogdan Becla said: “Krakow’s shanty festival is always a popular and event and it is certainly a festival with a difference.

“In a way it shows how diverse Krakow is as a city, because it can host one of Europe’s most popular events dedicated to songs of the seas when it lies so far away from the coast.”

The four-day festival will welcome almost eleven thousand people who will take part in a number of shows, concerts and performances. In past years, the festival has proved to be a launching pad for some of the most popular shanty groups and artists including Stare Dzwony, Packet, Rycz?ce Dwudziestki, and Mechanicy Shanty.

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