The Mystic Seaport Sea Music Festival, held annually in June since 1979 at the Mystic Seaport Museum in Mystic, Connecticut, is among the oldest, and is the largest sea music festival

Music festival

A music festival is a festival oriented towards music that is sometimes presented with a theme such as musical genre, nationality or locality of musicians, or holiday. They are commonly held outdoors, and are often inclusive of other attractions such as food and merchandise vending machines,...

 in the United States. It reportedly attracts "the highest caliber of sea music performers, scholars, and fans." The Festival was first organized by Dr. Stuart M. Frank as a place to perform and hear sea music

Sea shanty

A shanty is a type of work song that was once commonly sung to accompany labor on board large merchant sailing vessels. Shanties became ubiquitous in the 19th century era of the wind-driven packet and clipper ships...

 as well as a symposium for ethnomusicologists, anthropologists, and historians.

2005 (25th)

• Bob Webb
• Celeste Bernardo
• Cliff Haslam
• Compass Rose
• David Littlefield
• Dick & Carol Holdstock
• Dick Holdstock & Allan MacLeod
• Geoff Kauffman
• Georgia Sea Island Singers
• John Roberts
• Jorge Job
• Ken Sweeney
• Le Vent du Nord
• Louis Killian
• The Johnson Girls
  The Johnson Girls
  The Johnson Girls are an all-female a-cappella song group based in New York. They specialize in maritime music and perform songs from a melange of cultures including the United States, Britain, Ireland, Italy and French-Canada. Named after a traditional African-American sea shanty , "The Johnson...
  
  
• Tommy Makem
• William Pint & Felicia Dale

Source: CD, "25th Annual Sea Music Festival" published by Mystic Seaport Museum of America and the Sea.

2007 (28th)

• Ana Vinagre
• Bob Walser
• Bob Webb
• Bonnie Milner
• Bruce MacIntyre
• Chanteens
• Chanterelle
• Chris Koldewey
• Cindy Kallet
• Cliff Haslam
• Craig Edwards
• David Littlefield
• Don Sineti
• Ellen Cohn
• Geno Leech
• Geoff Kauffman
• Gianna Iannucci
• Jeff Warner
• Jerry Bryant
  Jerry Bryant (songwriter)
  Jerry Bryant is a professional folk music performer specializing in maritime music. In addition to performing traditional songs, he also has written songs in a traditional style...
  
  
• John Bartlett & Ricka Ruebsaat
• Ken Sweeney
• Kenny Wolin
• Lee Murdock
• Louis Killian
• Marc Berniner
• Moe Bowstern
• Northern Neck Chanteymen
• Rachel Thomas
• Rick Spenser
• Steve Roys
• Tim Reilly
• Tom Lewis
  Tom Lewis (songwriter)
  Tom Lewis is a British singer and writer of nautical songs.-Biography:Lewis was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland and grew up in Gloucester, England...
  
  
• William Pint & Felicia Dale

Source: http://www.mysticseaport.org/files/site_files/Visit//SM_web.pdf

2009 (30th)

• Barnacle
• Bob Walser
• Bob Webb
• Carl Thornton
• Cliff Haslam
• Daisy Nell & Stan Collinson
• Danny Spooner
• Dave Peloquin
• David Kleiman
• Heather Wood
• Ellen Cohn
• Dick Holdstock & Allan MacLeod
• Jeff Warner
• Jerry Bryant
  Jerry Bryant (songwriter)
  Jerry Bryant is a professional folk music performer specializing in maritime music. In addition to performing traditional songs, he also has written songs in a traditional style...
  
  
• John Roberts
  John Roberts
  John Glover Roberts, Jr. is the 17th and current Chief Justice of the United States. He has served since 2005, having been nominated by President George W. Bush after the death of Chief Justice William Rehnquist...
  
  
• Judy & Dennis Cook
• Louis Killen
• Marc Bernier
• Martin & Phillip Hugill
• Nanne Kalma and The Hudson Crew
• New Bedford Harbor Sea Chantey Chorus
• Rick Nestler
• Rum Soaked Crooks
• Sheri Mortimer
• Stout
• Stuart Frank & Mary Malloy
• Talitha MacKenzie
  Talitha MacKenzie
  Talitha MacKenzie is an American world music recording artist, teacher and ethnomusicologist. Initially known for her work as the singing half of the original Mouth Music lineup, she has gone on to follow a highly-respected solo career...
  
  
• Les Bouthilliers
• The Ancient Mariners
• The Clancy Legacy
• Walter Askew

Source: Official website of Mystic Seaport