Musicians from Great Britain, Canada and across the U.S. will be at Mystic Seaport today through Sunday for the 36th Annual Sea Music Festival.

As an aside, am I the only one who thinks that, for purposes of this event, participating musicians should be required to arrive by boat? Just curious ...

In any case, it’s a world-class sea music festival that includes daytime and evening performances, kid-friendly educational activities and shows, instructional workshops, a two-day Music of the Sea symposium, and the chance to witness sea music in the context of life aboard historic vessels.

Concerts take place on seven different stages across the seaport grounds. Saturday’s Symposium activities are hosted at the Olin Science Center on New London’s Connecticut College campus, while Sunday’s Symposium events will happen in the seaport’s Greenmanville Church.

Performing this year are MARA (Brigitte Kloareg, Katell Kloareg and Yuna Léon); Maurice Leyden & Jane Cassidy; Alan Reid with Rob van Sante; Ian Bell; Pressgang Mutiny; Cathy Barton & Dave Para; Judy Cook; Jackson Gillman; Sara Grey & Keiron Means; Meridian with Olivia Gale & Colin de la Barre; the Mystic Seaport Chantey Staff (Craig Edwards, Jesse Edwards, David Iler, Geoff Kaufman, Barry Keenan, Denise Kegler, David Littlefield, Don Sineti, and Chris Koldewey); the Northern Neck Chanteymen; Jordan Shapiro’s Shanty Shakedown; Jeff Warner; George Ward; and Charlie Zahm.

Other main events worth noting are the Fitting Out Concert, 7 p.m. Friday at the Boat Shed; the Sea Music Contra Dance, 3-6 p.m. Saturday in Frohsinn Hall, 54 Greenmanville Ave., directly across the street from the seaport’s main entrance; the Full Sail Concert at the Boat Shed, 7 p.m. Saturday; and the Final Concert, 3-6 p.m. Sunday in the Boat Shed.

For a complete schedule, go to mysticseaport.org.

— Rick Koster

Sea Music Festival, 7 p.m. Thurs. and Fri., noon-10 p.m. Sat. and 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sun., Mystic Seaport, 75 Greenmanville Ave., Mystic; workshops and daytime concerts free with general seaport admission ($25 adult, $23 senior and student with ID, $16 youth, free for kids under 5); evening concerts $25 member, $16 student/youth members, $32 adult non-members, $24 student/youth non-members; Sea Contra Dance $8; (860) 572-0711.

Music of the Sea Symposium Part One, 9 a.m. Friday, Olin Science Center, Connecticut College, 270 Mohegan Ave., New London; free; Part Two, 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Greenmanville Church, Mystic Seaport, 75 Grenmanville Ave., Mystic; free; (860) 572-0711.