The International Festival of the Sea will feature close to two thousand performers providing music and theatre throughout the site.

Traditional sea-faring musicians and shanty singers from all over the world will perform on the stages, boat decks and bars.

Three large concert stages will feature performances from brass bands, orchestras and choral groups to jazz and folk from when the gates open in the morning until they close at 10.00 at night, with countless other performance areas and street entertaining throughout the site.

Jugglers, acrobats and stilt-walkers will perform alongside curious and bizarre theatrical acts – all connected by the theme of the sea.  Visitors will catch a glimpse of a mermaid at ‘Wonders of the Deep’; witness a prisoner walking the plank at ‘Treasure Island’ or bump into Admiral Nelson or Blue Beard at one of the many watering holes.

Those interested in a combination of military and civilian performances should head for the display arena.  Presentations will include armed and unarmed combat displays and music ranging from the Sea Cadets to military marching bands.  Children will feature strongly with performances from local groups involving interactive ‘Robot Wars’ and ‘Gladiator’ style games.

Spice Island is the name for the Historic Dockyard area of the Festival, where a huge cast of performers and musicians take visitors on a journey back to the year 1801.  It is a time when Portsmouth is alive with rumours about a huge French force massing on the other side of the Channel and the main road of the Dockyard is buzzing with military activity.  Street performers keep the troops entertained.

Meanwhile the Georgian inhabitants of Portsmouth go about their daily business in Anchor Lane Street market.  Sailors tell tall tales and weave dreams of adventures, of riches and spoils in the exotic Spice Islands, monsters of the deep and the terrors of voyages on un-charted seas.  Visitors will be swept along in this colourful pageant, taking time out to browse through the huge array of market stalls.

Each day at 2pm there will be a Tri-Service capability demonstration in and around the giant No 3 Basin.  The scenario will involve the Royal Marines rescuing hostages from the clutches of a party of rebels who have taken over an island in 3 Basin.  Fast jets from the RAF and helicopters from all three services will support them.

The Nautical Parade is a daily event that will take the form of a huge carnival procession; with floats, bands, dancers, brightly coloured costumes, energy and life.  Its function is to lead us from the activities of the day into the concerts and spectacular evening entertainment.  As with all the entertainment at the festival the nautical parade is strongly themed; the floats and performers will follow the theme of a trip around the Seven seas… a brightly coloured multi-cultural trip through time and around the globe from Portsmouth and back – some real, some imagined but all highly entertaining.

Each evening peaks with a spectacular concert in the 10,000 capacity main concert area.  The grand finale on Monday night will see the festival performers surrounding the quays and concert arena with a performance that combines the best of the festival with the military.  Themed as ‘All at Sea’, the concert will give the audience a chance to ‘see it all’.  As is traditional at the Festival of the Sea, a few surprises will be included in this last night show.

Further information available on www.festivalofthesea.co.uk