South Street Seaport Museum Announces Queer History: Chanteys and Sailors

The South Street Seaport Museum announces the next event in it’s ongoing series exploring the history of queer life in Lower Manhattan with Queer History: Chanteys and Sailors on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 2:30pm. The event will take place in the first-floor gallery of the A.A. Thomson & Co. building located at 213 Water Street and tickets are free. Reserve free tickets here.

Join an afternoon of music, storytelling, and hidden histories with the Ranzo Boys—New York City’s premier trans maritime trio. Through a dynamic blend of performance and historical context, this event brings to light stories long left out of traditional maritime history, offering both insight and entertainment.

Blending folk music, sea chanteys, and cabaret-style storytelling, the Ranzo Boys will explore queer narratives of the Golden Age of Sail—from Walt Whitman’s dockside trysts to sailors using sea voyages to transition to living as men—as well as the vibrant, queer community that continues to surround sea music today.

Expect an afternoon that is as thought-provoking as it is joyful: part concert, part historical cabaret, and entirely one of a kind.

About the Hosts

The Ranzo Boys, Lafayette Matthews (he/him) and Jules Peiperl (they/them), have been singing together since 2013. They are dedicated to honoring the tradition of the songs they sing while making the folk community a more inclusive and welcoming space for all people. Their repertoire includes buzzy English harmonies, Appalachian ballads, sea chanteys, and any trad song that can be remotely construed as queer.

Enjoy More That the Museum Offers

Access to the historic ships and exhibition galleries at the Seaport Museum is included with your ticket to this event! You may visit any time from 11am to 5pm on the day of your event. General Admission brings you aboard the 1885 tall ship Wavertree and 1908 lightship Ambrose at Pier 16, and into all current exhibitions on view in the first-floor Schermerhorn Row galleries at 12 Fulton Street. Your ticket also sets you on course to explore Maritime City, the Seaport Museum’s immersive, three-floor exhibition at A.A. Thomson & Co., located at 213 Water Street. seaportmuseum.org/admission

About the South Street Seaport Museum

The South Street Seaport Museum, located in the heart of the historic seaport district in New York City, preserves and interprets the history of New York as a great port city. Founded in 1967, the Museum houses an extensive collection of works of art and artifacts, a maritime reference library, exhibition galleries and education spaces, working 19th century print shops, and an active fleet of historic vessels that all work to tell the story of “Where New York Begins.” seaportmuseum.org

#

#SouthStreetSeaportMuseum #WhereNewYorkBegins

@SouthStreetSeaportMuseum - Facebook

@seaportmuseum - Instagram

@seaportmuseum - X

@seaportmuseum - TikTok