Published on: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Last updated: Wednesday, 26 September 2018
Greater Anglia’s Mayflower Line trains will ring with the sound of old sea shanties when singers and pirates jump aboard as part of the Harwich International Sea Shanty Festival, on Saturday 6 October.
The Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership (ESSCRP) will decorate a carriage with a sea shanty theme on two Sea Shanty trains, as sea shanty crews jump aboard to regale passengers with songs from the sea as they travel to the coast.
The shanty crews taking part on the sea shanty trains are Alan Whitbread and Becky Simon on the 11.00 am train, and Men Overboard on the 12.00 train.
Children on the event train will receive an activity pack and a competition to name the whale and there will be pirates on board to get festival goers into the spirit of the weekend!
The Sea Shanty event trains depart from Manningtree at 11am and 12pm on Saturday 6th October 2018. Tickets can be purchased via www.esscrp.org.uk
On reaching Harwich, festival goers will be treated to a huge choice of entertainment, much of it free of charge.
Shanty singers from all over the world converge on Harwich for this special weekend on 5th – 7th October and the town resounds with the sound of their singing.
There will be pirates in Harwich, Napoleonic soldiers and theatre at the Redoubt Fort and music and singing at venues throughout the town.
The King’s German Artillery will re-enact defending the Redoubt Fort, demonstrating musket drill and cannon firing and taking part in the odd skirmish with marauding pirates.
There will also be demonstrations of splitting and smoking herrings and lots of workshops throughout the weekend.
Greater Anglia’s Community Partnerships Officer, Paul Haynes, said, “We are delighted to get involved with this unique and exciting festival. The Essex and South Suffolk Community Rail Partnership have pulled out all the stops to create a really fun atmosphere on board, making rail the perfect way to travel to the festival for children and adults alike.”
More information and a full programme of events can be found at www.harwichshantyfestival.co.uk or www.esscrp.org.uk .