Sing a song at work!
The port of Rotterdam is now state of the art, but there are still some spots in Rotterdam that will remind you of the long gone nautic history. The port of Rotterdam started to flourish during the heydays of the Dutch East India Company. Working in the harbour or on board was a very demanding and tough job. So called shanties are working songs that sailors used to sing as a motivation on the job. In this respect, these traditional vocals can be compared with the songs that slaves used tho sing during the times that slavery was still legal and common in America, with the difference that a sailor was free to go of course! The shanties  therefore are just as versatile as the work that had to be done on board the old sailing ships.

What shall we do with the drunken sailor?
Nowadays you simply listen to the radio at work, but some old shanties might still sound familiar to you. What about the English song 'What shall we do with the drunken sailor'? This song is a genuine shanty which was sung by the indefatigable sailors during their sea travels on the to Far East or America. Many of these songs will ring a bell and will be sung during the Shanty Festival in Rotterdam by the attending shanty choirs.

A forgotten tradition kept alive
The traditional wooden sailing ships are now replaced by modern metal vessels, so there's no need to repare the sails. Anchors are now raised mechanically and scrubbing the deck is also mostly something from the past. The ancient profession of sailor has nearly passed away, and the shanties with it. Luckily however, these shanties are written down by retired sailors and are sung to the public during the Shanty Festival in Rotterdam to keep this forgotten tradition alive.

Locations Shanty Festival Rotterdam
The main location of the Shanty Festival is the Old Harbour in Rotterdam, where dozens of shanty choirs will perform on floating pontoons. Around these pontoons many historic ships are moored for the ideal setting of the Shanty Festival! Within the Old Harbour there will also be a nautical market. In downtown Rotterdam Shanty choirs will sing on the steps of WTC at Beurs, at the market square Binnenrotte and in Hoogstraat. The Shanty Festival has perfect timing: you can combine this music festival with the World Port Days in Rotterdam!