For more than two decades, the Ship’s Company Chanteymen (est. 1996) have shared sea salts' songs with tens of thousands, all over the East Coast. Aside from being scurvy-free, they portray the musical part of nautical life in the 1700s and 1800s. Many of their songs originally set a pace to keep ship crews rowing in time or doing rhythmic chores such as turning a capstan. Some just filled long hours or lonely nights at sea. Simple and direct, wild and spirited, salty and rough as a North Atlantic gale, they were a reflection of the sailors themselves. The practice of voicing rhythmic sounds while working may be as old as mankind and probably is intrinsic to human nature.

Since early sailors spent years away from home, first-time listeners should not be surprised that many tunes mention fair maidens, home, and “other” entertainments. With rollicking tunes and sing-along choruses, it’s also fun. This jolly band of merrymakers has been seen and heard all up and down the east coast of the United States.

Join them in 2026 for their 30th year of pubsings in the DC area, and be sure to follow them on Facebook: The Ship’s Company Chanteymen.

• 1st Thursdays, 8-10pm in Fairfax, VA: The Auld Shebeen Irish Pub & Restaurant (https://theauldshebeenva.com/) Held in the expansive cellar with dinner and bar service starting at 7pm. Free parking in the nearby garage.

• 2nd Wednesdays, 7-9pm in Baltimore, MD: The Anchor Bar (https://www.anchorbarbaltimore.com/) Located in the basement of the Admiral Fell Inn in Baltimore's Fell's Point neighborhood. The bar doesn't serve dinner but there are restaurant options on the waterfront.

• 2nd Fridays, 2nd Fridays, 7-9pm in Hillsborough, NC: The Colonial Inn (& Spencer’s Tavern) Both food and drinks available, and free street parking.

• 3rd Thursdays, 3rd Thursdays, 8-10pm: We recommend Chanteymen friend Johnny Strumm’s pubsing at Limerick Irish Pub in Wheaton, MD. Food and drink available.

• 4th Thursdays, 8-10pm in Alexandria, VA (March through October, weather permitting): Tallship Providence floating dock, also known as the Sen. John Warner Maritime Center in Old Town. Bar and snacks, many restaurants within walking distance of the sing. $10 admission helps support Tallship Providence and its education programs.

March 28, 4 PM - 9 PM: Drink the Delaware Philadelphia, PA

May 9: 2nd Annual Lewes Shanty Fest Lewes, DE

June 12-14: Connecticut Sea Music Festival Essex, CT

June 27-28: Sail250 Baltimore, MD

August 29-30: Nanticoke River Jamboree at Handsell Historic Site Vienna, MD

September 12: Defender’s Day at Todd’s Inheritance Historic Site Baltimore, MD

September 19: Lambert Wickes Day Celebration Rock Hall, MD

September 19-20: Mount Vernon Market Faire Mount Vernon, VA

September 25: Essex County Museum & Historical Society Tappahannock, VA

October 3: Galesville Maritime Heritage Festival Galesville, MD

October 19: Ft. Monroe, VA

November 7-8: Yorktown Sea Shanty Festival Yorktown, VA

November 12-15: Waterfowl Festival Easton, MD

Current Members