Festival Fun
Workshops, presentations, food and drinks. It's all here!
Find your waypoints to all the festival fun. There's something for every member of your crew.
PLEASE NOTE
Most activities require registration due to limited space/slots.
Registration information and costs will be detailed in our ticketing system.
Seafood Chowder & Song
Join us Friday at The Caves Restaurant at 5pm for a delicious Seafood Chowder Supper. Live entertainment too, of course!
For those who don't want chowder, we will be offering 4pc chicken strips and fries with drink and cookie; or Minestrone soup , biscuit, drink and cookie.
Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions. FYI, the minestrone soup is gluten-free and vegan friendly
Friday
5pm
The Caves Restaurant, 82 Big Salmon River Road
Food & Drink
Whiskey Tasting
Join whiskey and rum enthusiast Graham MacKenney, The Atlantic Rum Connection, as he presents a variety of whiskies from around the Atlantic Provinces. Before the Mast will also be performing during this event!
Friday
6pm
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 63, 79 Main Street
Food & Drink
The Privateers Marque Pub Night
Our pub on Friday Night at the Legion will feature New Brunswick's, A Dram and A Draw... Don't forget your dancing shoes!
Friday
8pm
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 63, 79 Main Street
Music
Walk n' Talk with David Goss
Ghostly Graveyard Gallivant
Join local author, folklorist and storyteller David Goss as he takes you on an interactive walking tour through a village graveyard;
curious, capricious and creepy chronicles from city and country cemeteries.
Children under 12 free but please let us know if bringing.
Meet David at the Quaco Museum and wear comfortable walking shoes!
Friday
8:30pm
Quaco Museum, 236 Main Street
Presentation
The Curse of the Anna Currier/Andrew MacLean
Join us for the story of the “The Curse of the Anna Currier”; a mysterious ship washes ashore at Quaco Beach in the late 1800s — the ship is fine but its crew has disappeared without a trace...
Andrew MacLean is the author of the popular Backyard History newspaper column, podcast, and TV miniseries, and has written three Backyard History books, which will be available for purchase at the Shanty Festival. Known for uncovering forgotten stories and bringing Maritime history to life, he combines deep research with the storytelling warmth Atlantic Canadians are known for. MacLean’s work has been featured by media outlets across Canada.
(1 of 3 events at this time)
Saturday
9:30am
St. Martins Community Centre, 73 Main Street
Presentation
Decorative Knot Tying (Ocean Plait Mat)
We’re thrilled to welcome back Daryl Caines for a new hands-on workshop — perfect for anyone who loves coastal crafts and creative fun!
An Ocean Plait Mat is a traditional, durable nautical mat hand-woven from a single, long piece of rope, often hemp, or reclaimed lobster rope. Featuring an intricate interwoven, flat, and oblong pattern, it is commonly used as a centerpiece for a table or mantle.
No experience needed — just bring your sea spirit and we’ll show you the ropes (literally)!
(90 min) (1 of 3 events at this time)
Saturday
9:30am
Quaco Museum, 236 Main Street
Workshop
Shanty Sing Along w/Bytown Sea Shanty Collective
Join Ottawa's Bytown Sea Shanty Collective for this musical experience. Participants will be taught a handful of sea shanties and their respective harmonies. Come and get your shanties on!
(50 min) (1 of 3 events at this time)
Saturday
10am
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 63, Main Street, Saint Martins, NB, Canada
Music
Shanty Sing Along w/Bytown Sea Shanty Collective
Join Ottawa's Bytown Sea Shanty Collective for this musical experience. Participants will be taught a handful of sea shanties and their respective harmonies. Come and get your shanties on!
(50 min) (1 of 3 events at this time)
Saturday
11am
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 63, Main Street, Saint Martins, NB, Canada
Music
Sea Glass Workshop
Join Salisha as she walks you through step by step to design & make your very own sea glass jewellery. All materials will be provided; however, you are free to bring one or more of your own special pieces of sea glass to add to your design.
Salisha Tatton, sea glass artist and owner of Salisha’s Sea Gems~ With Love from the East Coast, is a Saint John native, with an absolute love for all things coastal. She grew up scouring over the rocks along the coastline of the Bay of Fundy to find pretty shells, glass and stones and has been making sea glass and ocean inspired jewellery since 2016. Salisha currently resides just outside of Moncton, New Brunswick and has sea glass jewellery in 4 different locations around the province as well as an online Etsy shop. Her designs have been worn at New York Fashion Week, Paris Fashion Week, and Miss Teen North America pageant. Her jewelry designs have also been featured in articles with the Weather Network and worn by East Coast Mermaid.
*FOR ALL AGES (Children may require parent assistance)
Parents who are assisting children who are registered, need not register themselves.
(1 of 3 events at this time)
Saturday
11am
St. Martins Community Centre, 73 Main Street
Family-Friendly
Irish Céilí Dancing Workshop
Harbour Park Gazebo Tent
Step into the lively world of Irish social dancing with Emily Peacock of Celtic Roots Dance Academy! This engaging and fun-filled workshop is designed to introduce you to the vibrant and communal spirit of traditional Irish dance. In this workshop, participants will learn popular group dances such as the Ceili and Set dances, which are the heart of Irish social gatherings. Dancers will experience the joy of dancing in a group, moving in sync with others, and enjoying the lively music. No experience necessary and open to all ages.
**Participants should wear comfortable clothing and shoes that allow you to move freely. No special dance attire is required.
(1 of 3 events at this time)
Saturday
11am
St. Martins Harbour Park, 424 Main Street
Family-Friendly
Beer Tasting w/The Porch
Join us in the Amphitheatre Beer Tent with the fine folks from The Porch. Enjoy a curated flight of 4 Gridiron Brewing Beers and discussion with the brewmaster. Cheers! (for Music Pass Holders only)
Saturday
12pm
St. Martins Harbour Park, 424 Main Street
Food & Drink
Decorative Knot Tying (Ocean Plait Mat)
We’re thrilled to welcome back Daryl Caines for a NEW hands-on workshop — perfect for anyone who loves coastal crafts and creative fun!
An Ocean Plait Mat is a traditional, durable nautical mat hand-woven from a single, long piece of rope, often hemp, or reclaimed lobster rope. Featuring an intricate interwoven, flat, and oblong pattern, it is commonly used as a centerpiece for a table or mantle.
No experience needed — just bring your sea spirit and we’ll show you the ropes (literally)!
(90 min) (1 of 3 events at this time)
Sunday
9:30am
Quaco Museum, 236 Main Street
Workshop
Medicines of the Land: A Medicine Bag Workshop
In Indigenous culture, a medicine bag is far more than a pouch, it is a deeply personal connection to the land, to the healing gifts of the natural world, and to the wisdom of those who came before us.
Join Mi’kmaq storyteller and Co-Founder of First Nations Storytellers, Dave Smith, for an intimate hands-on workshop where you will craft your own small medicine bag and fill it with traditional medicines Dave has gathered from the land. As your hands work, Dave will share personal medicine stories, weaving together the enduring relationship between the Wabanaki peoples and the natural world that has sustained them for thousands of years.
The medicine bag has long been a symbol of protection, healing, and identity. Through the act of making one, participants are invited into a conversation that stretches back countless generations, one that speaks to our shared responsibility to the land and especially to one another. Dave’s warm and humorous storytelling style makes this experience as engaging as it is meaningful, whether you are new to Indigenous culture or already on your own journey of learning.
No experience is required, just an open heart and a willingness to listen. Each participant will leave with a handmade medicine bag and a new appreciation for the timeless wisdom of the land we all call home.
(1 of 3 events at this time)
Sunday
10am
St. Martins Community Centre, 73 Main Street
Presentation
Sea Shanties Explained w/Eric Ruff
Presented by Eric Ruff of The Yarmouth Shantymen.
How much do you actually know about sea shanties? Do you know there are different types? Are you curious to learn about the reasons for each type, and when they were sung and why? And how about the history? Join us for Everything you wanted to know about Sea Shanties!
(1 of 3 events at this time)
Sunday
10am
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 63, Main Street, Saint Martins, NB, Canada
Presentation
St. Martins went KABOOM w/Harold Wright
KABOOM! St. Martins and Tank Ammunition with Harold Wright
In 1944 the SS Beaverhill went aground in St. John Harbour. It was not possible to refloat the ship so over a two year period, the food, the postal letters and packages, and the ammunition of grenades, mortar rounds and tank ammunition, were salvaged.
The ammunition was supposed to be dumped into the middle of the Bay of Fundy. The RCMP went to St. Martins after an explosion of this ammunition as some of the “locals” attempted to salvage the brass casings.
This illustrated presentation will provide details and lots of photos of what happens when you try to separate brass shells from the explosive charge.
Sunday
11am
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 63, Main Street, Saint Martins, NB, Canada
Presentation
PLEASE NOTE
Most activities require registration due to limited space/slots.
Registration information and costs will be detailed in our ticketing system.
For the dates/times for each activity, check our schedule (coming soon).