Music has always been foundational at Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. From the organization’s earliest days in the 1960s, song united people across the Hudson Valley to pass-the-hat at free Folk Picnics to fund the construction of our sloop, eventually settling down at Croton Point Park and growing into the Great Hudson River Revival.
Song continues to be a tool to inspire, build the movement for the Hudson River, and educate learners of all ages. Protest songs, folk music, and shanties are ever present at Clearwater, from incorporating music into every sail and education program, to our renewed annual Folk Picnics, to Music Sails, and fundraising concerts; we see music as a core component of our education, advocacy, and sailing.
If you are a musician and are interested in playing aboard the Clearwater, at the Kingston Earth Fair or Folk Picnic, submit our Musician Interest Form. If you’re interested in using your music to support in other ways, explore Musicians for Clearwater.
Benefit Concert Series
Our Benefit Concert Series features an extraordinary lineup ranging from legendary singer-songwriters and folk revival icons to emerging voices. Whether welcoming internationally renowned artists like Steve Earle and Tommy Sands, or celebrating contemporary songwriters such as Jenna Nicholls, presented in intimate venues throughout the Hudson Valley. Explore upcoming events.
Clearwater’s Folk Picnic
Restarted in 2023, our annual Folk Picnics are a celebration of the Folk Picnics that catalyzed the movement to build our sloop and funded the initial construction of the Clearwater. Our new annual Folk Picnics are a free, community-centered day of celebration, kids’ activities, and Hudson River advocacy. Learn more.
Music Sails
Each sailing season, we host Music Sails featuring guest musicians who carry forward the tradition of musical performance aboard the sloop. Whether through sing-alongs, original songs, or maritime music, these sails invite our guests to experience one of Clearwater’s cherished traditions. Explore our Sail Calendar.
Kingston Earth Fair
Each spring, Clearwater helps bring music to the City of Kingston’s annual Earth Fair, a free community celebration of environmental stewardship, sustainability, and local action. As a project of the Clearwater Festival, Clearwater curates two stages of live music featuring regional musicians and community performers, helping create a vibrant atmosphere alongside educational exhibits, family activities, boat rides, food vendors, and environmental organizations from across the Hudson Valley. Learn more.
Great Hudson River Revival
What began as a series of small, pass-the-hat folk concerts to help build the sloop Clearwater grew into one of the nation’s most beloved music and environmental festivals. For decades, the Clearwater Festival—known as the Great Hudson River Revival—brought together legendary musicians, environmental advocates, craftspeople, educators, and families on the shores of the Hudson River to celebrate community, activism, and the power of music to inspire change. Though the festival paused during the COVID-19 pandemic, its spirit lives on through Clearwater’s ongoing music programs, concerts, Folk Picnics, and community gatherings. Learn more.
About Hudson River Sloop Clearwater:
In 1966, folk singer Pete Seeger and a group of activists decided to “build a boat to save the river,” envisioning that a sloop would bring people to the shoreline and inspire a movement to protect the Hudson River. Three years later, Clearwater set sail with a mission to save the Hudson through education, advocacy, and sailing. Today, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater remains resolute in this mission, and to date, more than half a million people have had the life-changing experience of sailing aboard the Clearwater.