Festival time

Gosport Shanty Festival May 2026

Summer is here, and that means that it’s festival time again. The shanty festival season is now well and truly underway. In fact we started early this year, at the wonderful Cockwood Shanty Festival.

We then had a brilliant weekend in Gosport where we played two gigs at the ‘Tales from the Sea’ shanty festival. Later that day our friends from Scrimshanker Shanty invited us to an ‘afterglow’ along with several other shanty crews – a very memorable evening to end the festival!

And last weekend we were back in Newport for the Pirates in the Port festival – which is where it all really started for us exactly one year ago. As they say, time flies when you’re having fun, and it’s certainly been a great year of making music together and making new friends along the way!

There is much more to come in terms of festivals – next week we’ll be in Abergavenny, then Usk, followed by Portishead, Weston-super-Mare, Swansea (tbc), Bristol, and Mevagissey – and we’re really looking forward to every single one of them.

In addition, we’ll also perform at smaller gigs and other events, so have a look at our events calendar for all the details.

Last but not least, we now have a dedicated Youtube channel, where we’ll post videos and short clips of some our live sets – and, hopefully soon, some proper recordings!

‘Unplugged’ compilation at the Boathouse in Gosport
Live compilation – Pirates in the Port, Newport

Charity fundraising

donate jar

During our first year we have raised or contributed to well over six thousand pounds for a range of local and nationwide charities.

There is a long and wonderful tradition of shanty groups supporting charities across the UK. Most shanty festivals and events are free to attend, and all shanty crews tend to perform entirely for free. Usually there will be a collection bucket for voluntary donations. Good causes often involve the RNLI, air rescue services or similar, as well as local charities. This tradition of charity fundraising really reflects the spirit of shanty singing and community engagement. As Beaufort Scale we’re really happy to be a small part of it!

Over the last year we’ve also been able to raise funds for a growing number of charities in other ways. We’ve performed at several ticketed charity fundraisers in Abergavenny, Ebbw Vale, and Newport (twice). In addition, we have raised funds at our own monthly open mic nights through raffles and collections.

So far, we have supported over a dozen charities including:

We wish to express our sincere appreciation for the outstanding and enthusiastic performance by Beaufort Scale, held in support of BookTrust Cymru and Little People UK. The total amount raised reached £ 2,185. Your involvement will make a tangible impact on their efforts.

– Mayor’s Office, Mayor of Newport

A busy year ahead

Pirates in the Port (Newport, May 2025)

In our first ever blog post, we’ll take a look at what’s been happening so far in 2026, and what’s coming up soon. We’ve been hosting a monthly open mic … Read more