Day 4, or rather, Day -5 to Pirates in the Port. Whatever, it's Bank Holiday Monday, and if you think it's hot today, wait till you see what brigands Jack at Fire and Ice has lurking in wait for unsuspecting seafarers! Pirates in the Port Festival goers love a great venue, and we have somewhere really special lined up in Fire and Ice on Cambrian Road. A great stage, with great sound kit managed by our friend Saul from SD Music (sdmusic.co.uk), and some of the nicest people in Newport await you along with the amazing bands below, on both Saturday and Sunday. Get into the Pirate spirit with the fantastic Wrecked Again from Cockwood and Odds and Sods all the way from the Lizard in Cornwall (they've never been seen without a pint in their hands). Brecon Shanty and Beaufort Scale bring a Welsh flavour to the venue, while the Salty Sea Dogs and ScrimShanker are travelling from the South Coast of England! Full details at www.shantywales.com, your guide to the Festival!

Sorry I missed yesterday's Day 3 announcement as I had a date with Tottenham...... Something really different for today's update, brought to you by our lovely Folk Music festival partners in the Upstairs Market which is going to be our Folk Hub for the weekend. Just see what's happening on the Sunday for starters - A Grand Irish Session And there's more - here's the full market Upstairs schedule (Left ) and Downstairs in Sips Cafe (Right) where a host of shanty and Pirate music is waiting! As ever - to see the full range of excellent bands and welcoming venues, please visit www.shantywales.com/saturday and www.shantywales.com/sunday

As we have kept adding new venues (by popular demand) over the last few weeks, we thought it only fair for you to have a new map showing where all the 52 bands will be playing over the weekend! So here it is. For those unfamiliar with Newport City Centre, the festival hub is at venue 1, The Corn Exchange, which is at the top of High Street, directly opposite Carpenters, McCanns and Le Pub. The hub will feature bands playing from 11am till 10pm on Saturday, and 12 till 6 on Sunday. There will be festival programmes on sale (£3) plus gorgeous and unique festival t-shirts (£15), and other Pirate merch - plus free drawing materials for kids. At the Riverfront on Kingsway (about 7-8 minute walk from the Corn Exchange) there are Pirate-related craft activities for children going on in the foyer - all free. In between these 2 there are 16 great venues where wonderful hosts will welcome you in free of charge to hear your favourite bands. Full performance details in the programme and also on the website. The Market Upstairs will be our Folk Hub with a wide range of (literally) toe-tapping acts from the Newport and multinational folk scene. So where's that map, you ask. It's here (see below) and also on the Getting There tab on the website.

The countdown has started to Pirates in the Port 2026......AND IT'S ALL FREE!!!! Pirate gear is coming out of the wardrobes...... Posters for band timetables are going up..... The map has been updated......... Festival Tshirts have been delivered...... Programmes are being printed.... All we need now is YOU!!!! Saturday 30th May - Corn Exchange from 11am & 17 other venues from 12 midday.

Newport's newest venue has just opened, and we have had a sneak preview! We visited Chapter (formerly Coco's) recently to carry out our usual review of venues and facilities and to match our bands to our venues, and it's looking great! Situated towards the top of High Street, Chapter will be hosting Pirates in the Port later this month, and we can't wait! There's a downstairs bar with a stage area, dancefloor and booth seating. Upstairs is another bar with another performance area. It's all beautifully decorated with a book-based theme. Poppy and Lesley will be your hosts at this great new venue to spend your evenings and during Pirates in the Port 2026!

Pirates in the Port are pleased to announce that our wonderful friends at The Riverfront Theatre and Newport Live will once again be putting on free Pirate-themed activities for children on Saturday 30th May as part of Newport's own Shanty and Folk Festival. After the great feedback we received from families at Pirates in the Port last year, we're doing it all over again! Come along with your children to our crafty Saturday session as part of Pirates in the Port 2026! Create your own sailor hat inspired by the history of sailors in Newport! All materials and fun provided free - 11am till 4pm in the Riverfront Theatre foyer!

Pirates in The Port and Bois y Bryn are pleased to announce that the Festival Schedule involving 53 bands across 18 venues has now been published! Saturday and Sunday timetables for each venue can now be viewed by clicking the large buttons on the Front Page labelled 'Saturday Timings HERE' and 'Sunday Timings HERE'. You can also access the schedules here - Saturday, and here - Sunday. There is also a link to the Venue Map on the Front Page. With just 28 days to go, everything a gearing up for a fabulous weekend in Newport!

Pirates in the Port is pleased to announce that due to having so many bands signed up and in need of performance slots, we have broken through the 15 venue barrier - and added 2 new places where you can see and hear shanty and folk music on the weekend of 30th/31st May, taking us to 17 venues! Welcome Newport Arcade and Cakes & Cream! Courtesy of our good friends at Arcadia - Newport's premier Gothic coffee house, we will have groups serenading you from the gallery in Newport Arcade! Take a stroll along the Arcade; sit out, have an excellent coffee whilst admiring the beautiful Victorian architecture! Newport Arcade will be a venue on Festival Saturday from 12 midday till 5pm Newport Arcade Cakes & Cream And.....not to be outdone, please put your hands together for Cakes & Cream - Newport's absolutely newest place to enjoy fine coffee, cakes and a good chat. Situated on Friar's Walk, just next to our other friends the Mercure Hotel, Cakes & Cream opened only last week, at the start of April, but have already acquired a great reputation for delicious coffee and sumptuous cakes and slices! Trust me: I was there today and 'mmmm'! Cakes & Cream will be a venue on Festival Sunday from 12 midday till 4pm

Pirates in the Port are pleased to announce that for the festival weekend on 30/31 May, the Riverfront Theatre on Kingsway will host The Kymin Stage , sponsored by our good friends and Pirates in the Port Festival partners, Kymin - the leading Financial Planning firm based in Newport. Kymin tell us they were founded in Monmouth in 1993 with the aim of providing the combination of Financial Planning and Wealth Management. They are Independent Financial Planners which means they are not restricted to one provider. This allows them to select the best solution for clients from the entire financial marketplace; giving our clients total peace of mind and knowing that they will be receiving the most suitable financial advice to the highest standard. You can find more info on them at kymin.co.uk . Kymin are a 'founder partner' for Pirates in the Port, this being their second year with us, and we are really grateful for their continued support. As we highlighted previously, Kymin recently received an award from VouchedFor as a Top Rated firm for 2026 (also for the 2nd year running, though we can't take credit for this bit!). We hope that festival goers will enjoy all the performances on The Kymin Stage at The Riverfront, which will kick off at 12pm on Saturday 30th May. Details of which bands will be playing there and at all other venues throughout the weekend will be published shortly. (Photo credit from the Riverfront 2025, John H, YouTube)

Pirates in the Port are pleased to be supported by leading Newport Financial Advisors, Kymin Financial Services for the second year, and we've just received some great news! Kymin are proud to announce that we have for a second year running been recognised as a VouchedFor Top Rated Firm for 2026, an award specifically presented to firms that consistently deliver an outstanding client experience. We look forward to seeing this years list of the Top Rated Firms in the UK, which is being published in The Times newspaper on Saturday 21st March. We are very proud to be included again this year.  We have successfully achieved this status again based on the strength and consistency of the feedback our clients have provided through the verified VouchedFor reviews. All of our advisers have had to exceed VouchedFor’s criteria for us to be able to achieve this designation. With an overall client satisfaction rating of 4.9 out of 5, via the 259 reviews that have been left (at time of writing) for our five advisers. This recognition cements our ongoing commitment to deliver excellent advice, clear communication, and positive outcomes for the people that we work with. In addition to this firm-wide recognition, we are incredibly proud that our advisers Christopher Taylor, Simon Aston, Paul Morgan, Kat Potts, and Steven Jones have also been recognised again this year thanks to their hard work and exceptional client reviews. Their dedication and expertise continue to make a real difference in our clients' financial journeys. Pirates in the Port are proud to be supported by prestigious and successful Newport businesses like Kymin!! More news to follow about Kymin's stage sponsorship at one of our main venues.

We are pleased to announce that our great friends, Harding Evans, Solicitors, will be teaming up with their newest neighbours to present The Harding Evans Stage at The Queens Academy for the weekend of Pirates in the Port. It’s good to know where to turn when the world throws you a curve-ball. Harding Evans are a full-service law firm, who provide advice to both individuals and businesses. From conveyancing and personal injury, family law and wills & probate, clinical negligence and care, right through to commercial, employment law and dispute resolution the specialist teams at Harding Evans provide clear, honest and high-quality legal advice in an environment that is approachable, inclusive and welcoming. The Queens Academy is Newport's newest music venue, housed within the historic Queens Hotel in the heart of Newport and which opened this month as a 500 seater venue rivalling the Corn Exchange and The Riverfront Theatre in size and ambition. The Queen's Academy is the brainchild of former Newport County footballer Darren Jones and music promoter Paul Divers and has a full calendar of music acts booked through 2026. We are delighted to have both Harding Evans and The Queens Academy on board with Pirates in the Port in 2026.

(in rough geographical order from High Street to Kingsway) The Corn Exchange, High Street Carpenters' Arms, High Street McCann's Rock & Ale Bar Le Pub, High Street Coco's, High Street Market Upstairs - The Folk Hub! Market - Sips Cafe Hogarth's, High Street Fire & Ice, Cambrian Road The Cab, Cambrian Road Queen's Academy, Queen's Square The Lamb, Bridge Street The Continental, Corn Street The Mercure Hotel, Upper Dock Street The Riverfront Theatre, Kingsway Details of venue timings and band schedules will be released nearer to the festival start. www.shantywales.com