For 26 years Cracow, in spite of being located so far from seas and oceans, has hosted one of the most popular shanties festivals - The International Sea Songs Festival Shanties.

The idea of The Shanties Festival was born in 1981. The first festival had a character of an intimate gathering of 20 members of the organizing committee and 100 people of audience and was held in the cellars of a community center. In 1987 for the first time in the history of the festival the guests from abroad were invited. Since then the festival has enjoyed the international status.

Due to the success of the first festival, its growing popularity not only among sailors , the festival has evolved from a small event into one of the biggest shanties festivals not only in Poland but also in Europe.
Festival concerts are organized in two concert halls.

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