First Sunday of the Month | November–April | 2–4pm ET | Hybrid | Free
The long-standing chantey sing tradition will continue on the first Sunday of every month presented in the hybrid format, both in-doors at the Museum and online.
Now through April, you are invited to join the lively chantey experience either in-person at the Seaport Museum’s 207 Water Street program space or virtually via Zoom, allowing you to join from anywhere. Each sing will be hosted by a local artist who will lead the sea-song sing-along, featuring a variety of traditional maritime work songs and ballads. Attendees are encouraged to sing along with the chorus or just sit back and enjoy the music. Throughout the event, both in-person and virtual attendees are welcome to take the stage for this round-robin where you can sing and share the chantey of your choice.
Singers of all levels, as well as listeners, are welcome to participate in this free event. You can lead or request a song during the round-robin or simply listen.
In-Person Registration
Advanced in-person registration to join the event at 207 Water Street will be encouraged for this event but walkups will be accommodated as possible. Any in-person attendee is welcome to lead a song during the round-robin; if you have a specific song in mind, please inform us of the song title when you register.
Zoom Registration
For all Zoom attendees, advanced registration is required. Please note that due to capacity limitations, only a limited number of online participants will be able to lead a song during the event. If you wish to lead a song on Zoom, please provide the song title when you register. You can register to join the Zoom event until the start of the program, but registration for leading a song on Zoom closes one week in advance. Click here to see a selection of custom Zoom backgrounds that you can download and use during the chantey programs.
Can’t decide whether to join in-person or via Zoom?
All registrants will receive the Zoom link in their confirmation email, regardless of their registration choice. If there’s a chance you might attend in-person, please sign up for an in-person ticket to help us with our planning.
Enjoy More That the Museum Offers
Access to the historic ships and exhibition galleries at the Seaport Museum is not included with this event. If you would like to explore more that the Museum has to offer, book in advance or ask Museum staff about admission tickets, available Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 5pm when you check in.
Museum admission tickets grant access to the 1885 tall ship Wavertree and 1908 lightship Ambrose at Pier 16 as well as all current exhibitions on view in the introduction galleries inside Schermerhorn Row located at 12 Fulton Street.
Admission tickets for March 12 and later will include entry to the forthcoming Maritime City exhibition in A.A. Thomson & Co. located at 213 Water Street. Be among the first to explore this exciting new exhibition and reserve your admission ticket now!
What is a Chantey Sing?
Old-time sailors on long voyages spent months living together in close quarters with no outside entertainment, no new people to interact with, a monotonous diet, and each day pretty much just like the day before. How did they keep their spirits up? Singing together! Work songs and fun songs, story songs and nonsense songs, songs of nostalgia and songs of up-to-the-moment news—all were part of the repertoire onboard. At South Street Seaport Museum, the chantey tradition lives on.
“Sea chanteys fit in beautifully with the New York tradition,” says Laura Norwitz, Seaport Museum Senior Director of Program and Education. “Sailing ships were a melting pot of languages and cultures, and chanteys and forecastle songs, along with hard work and shared challenges, helped sailors merge into one community. When we sing these songs today—some old, and some updated with up-to-the-moment lyrics—we celebrate our connection with our maritime heritage and also with the community we create by enjoying home-made music together.”
Sea Songs, Sea Lives
Join us for a webinar series that explores the lives of diverse groups of sailors today and in history through conversations with singers, sailors, historians, and more.