The Gloucester Shanty Festival will once again be bringing maritime music to the city, after a year off in 2018.

And for Festival Director Steve Rule this year is set to be their biggest yet as singers and bands from all around the British Isles converge on Gloucester for a weekend of fun.

“It’s our fourth year altogether and we’ve got loads of shanty acts coming from places including Cornwall, Devon, West Wales and Liverpool,” he said.

“We’re ideally placed in Gloucester to attract bands from all over the country – we’ve even got an act from Spain coming.”

Steve, who has lived in Gloucester all his life, says the original idea for the festival came from one of Gloucester’s other popular events.

He continued: “I was singing in a shanty band and thought it would be brilliant to tie a shanty singing festival in with Gloucester Tall Ships, to carry on into the evenings.

“I got speaking to Marketing Gloucester and they loved the idea.”

The festival will feature nearly 30 soloists and groups, including ‘El Pony Pisador’, who will be coming to Gloucester from Barcelona.

The festival attracts plenty of visitors to the various host venues around the city.

“We’ve got 14 venues around Gloucester hosting events,” said Steve. “Mostly pubs including The Fountain, Café Rene and The New Inn, and for smaller shows cafes like Peppers and Cookes Coffee.

“We’ve got a really good, loyal audience because it’s quite a niche festival.”

As well as the music, visitors will have the chance to join the Pirate Walk, which gives audiences a chance to get into the spirit of things, by dressing as a pirate and walking through Gloucester singing classic shanty songs.

“Shanty music is songs that would be sung on ships to encourage the work effort,” added Steve.

“Things like ‘What Do We Do With A Drunken Sailor’ – people like them because they’re simple and have got a story to them with plenty of humour.

“They’re also easy for audiences to join in with – especially after a few beers!”

The Gloucester Shanty Festival runs from Friday 24th to Sunday 26th May.

For more information on the Gloucester Shanty Festival visit www.gloucestershantyfestival.com