The festivals were intended to be celebrations of the sea, bringing together sailors, musicians, artists, entertainers, ships and boats from all points of the compass.
[1][2] The first International Festival of the Sea took place in Bristol in 1996, and the key theme was John Cabot's pioneering voyage of discovery to the Americas.
Unlike the Bristol event, the Portsmouth events had a strong naval component, and effectively combined the maritime heritage aspects of the first festival with the naval public relations aspects of the old Navy Days.
The 2003 festival was held in Edinburgh's port district of Leith.
The 2005 International Festival of the Sea returned to Portsmouth as part of the Trafalgar 200 and Sea Britain 2005 festivities to mark the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.