SEA shanties, stomping merriment and the inevitable chorus of “Yo, ho, ho and a bottle of rum” will bring a nautical air to St Sampson’s Square, York, this weekend.

This musical mayhem is being staged by the team behind the Galtres Parklands Festival, who are bringing their pirate stage to York for a musical foretaste of next month’s three-day event at Duncombe Park, Helmsley.

This weekend’s Galtres preview forms part of York’s Festival of the Rivers and also links up nationally to the Our Big Gig weekend of live music throughout Britain.

“Galtres Festival adopts a different theme each year for our family programme,” says organiser Mary Passeri, alias The Captain.

“Last year it was dragons and knights, which featured live jousting displays and a dragon ball. This year it will be pirates and crocodiles, so our festival land-lubbers will have all sorts of high-seas adventures, plus desert pirate camel racing and pirate-themed theatre and storytelling.

“The Festival of the Rivers gives us a great opportunity to bring our Galleon Stage to York city centre and give the good people of York a taste of what’s to come.”

On Saturday, a full programme of live music, theatre and storytelling from noon to 6pm will include Wee Folk and the York acoustic singer-songwriter Holly Taymar, who will be making her seventh Galtres Festival appearance next month.

Sunday’s 2pm to 6pm programme, put together by Helmsley Arts Centre, features Dave Smith Blues, Dave Keegan and a cappella trio The Lennanshees.

• Galtres Parklands Festival will run from August 23 and 25, when The Stranglers, The Undertones, Reef, Lloyd Cole and York singer-songwriter Benjamin Francis Leftwich will be among more than 100 acts on seven stages. For weekend and day ticket bookings, visit galtresfestival.org.uk