Connecticut Sea Music Festival

Friday, June 9. 5:00 pm – 10:00 pm
Saturday, June 10. 10:00 am – 10:00 pm
Sunday, June 11. 9:30 am – 6:00 pm
Town of Essex, CT

Learn more: https://ctseamusicfest.org.

An event from The Maritime Music and Tradition Society

Musical Performances
Historical Demonstrations
A Symposium on the Music of the Sea

The 2nd Annual CT Sea Music Festival drops anchor in historic downtown Essex on June 9-12, 2023. Participate at the Connecticut River Museum with three performances: Marc Bernier performs aboard RiverQuest on Saturday at 11:30; Geoff Kaufman performs aboard Onrust on Saturday at 2pm; and David Iler peforms aboard RiverQuest on Sunday at 11:30.

Free weekend festivities include a Symposium on the Music of the Sea, daytime workshops, a parade, a family stage, demonstrations of sailor skills, a Sunday morning revival-style hymn sing, and late-night Chantey Sings in the historic Griswold Inn! Evening concerts held on the main stage are ticketed events. Stroll Essex with ice cream in hand and hear sea chanteys and maritime music from all over the world. You might even find yourself singing along by day’s end!

The Festival started from the ground up last year after a 40-year run at Mystic Seaport. A mix of new administration and COVID halted that beloved streak and the heartbroken die-hards were forced to reorganize. The town of Essex embraced the opportunity to host, with sea chanteys ringing out every Monday night for the past 50 years at The Griswold Inn, and gave the Festival the necessary footing to start anew. (ctseamusicfest.org)

The Sea Music community reunites every June to sing, honor, and pass on these traditional sailors’ work songs from the Great Age of Sail, keeping them off dusty shelves and in the hearts and voices of many.

The Festival, a project of the 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization Maritime Music & Tradition Society Corp., is sponsored by CT Humanities and receives support from the Paul Foundation and The Griswold Inn.

Questions? Contact the Sea Music Festival at contact@ctseamusicfest.org.

Please note parking at the Connecticut River Museum is for Museum guests only.