Avast ye! Have you heard? Pirates Weekend is back so get your Jolly Rogers, eye patches and treasure maps at the ready to enjoy a rip-roaring weekend of fun celebrating life on the high seas.

Don’t forget – fancy dress is encouraged, so it’s you’re chance to push the boat out!

When and where is it?

Pirates Weekend takes place on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May between 10am and 4pm.

Head to the Barbican, Sutton Harbour and Waterfront to enjoy all the action – there’s loads of activity taking place along Southside Street, Quay Square, West Pier, The Parade, Commercial Wharf, West Hoe Park and Royal William Yard.

What to see and do

There’s plenty of fun to be had throughout the weekend, with bucket loads of entertainment and activities to enjoy. Here’s some of the highlights…

New for this year is the expansion of the event into West Hoe Park and Royal William Yard.  At West Hoe Park there will be pirate shows at 11.30am and 2.30pm and don’t forget Treasure Island!  There’s also a whole host of Pirate fun at Royal William Yard from 10am to 3pm with face painting, children’s crafts, shanty bands and the opportunity to make sea biscuits.

Two tall ships, the Olga and the Pilgrim of Brixham will be docked at Quay Square, and you can hop aboard and explore them for free.

Follow the Buccaneer Bingo Trail around the Barbican find all the treasure to collect your reward! Trail maps are just £2.50 and will be on sale at the Barbican Tourist Information Centre.

The Mount Batten Centre and Plymouth Youth Sailing Pirates will be offering sailing experiences from Commercial Wharf as part of Pirates Weekend. Pre booking is strongly advised or you can book places at their West Pier stand. 

At Commercial Wharf, a Seafood BBQ and family shows will add extra magic to the weekend. There will also be an evening fancy dress party at Boathouse Café from 6pm on Saturday 20 May with live music from The Busketeers.

Enjoy sensational storytelling by talented musicians and actors as they weave magical tales of pirates and mermaids.

Create your very own keepsake to take home you with you thanks to hands-on arts and crafts activities. You could print your very own colourful Jolly Roger flag, or make a badge or fridge magnet.

Listen to sea shanties performed by ten talented local shanty bands, who will be performing a mix of traditional shanties, folk tunes and original songs from various points across the waterfront. (Plus, some of them will be performing at nearby pubs from 4pm on Saturday 20 May, if you want to listen to some more).

Keep an eye out for Captain Jack who will be roaming the streets and looking for trouble!

And that’s not all – expect to see stilt walkers, cannon and musket firing, Morris dancing, face painting, stalls, workshops and much, much more!

For timings and details, check out the programmes for programme for entertainment over Pirates Weekend.

Food and drink

There are loads of brilliant places to stop for food and drink around the waterfront and beyond - you’ll be spoilt for choice.

It’s the perfect place to enjoy traditional seaside treats so tuck into tasty fish and chips, grab an ice cream or indulge in a traditional afternoon tea.

How to get there

If you’re travelling by car, there’s a number of car parks in the vicinity including Elphinstone car park, Lambhay Hill, Queen Anne’s Battery and the Harbour Car Park at Lockyers Quay, but remember these are likely to be very busy. The car park at Drake Circus and the Barcode is also less than a ten minute walk from all the action.

If you’re travelling from further afiel,d use GWR, the event’s Official Travel Partner, so check their website for train times and tickets.

If you’re travelling within Plymouth and plan to arrive by bus, you can plan your route with Citybus.

Road closures

Basket Ope and the Parade area, Southside Street and The Barbican will be closed to traffic and parking between 9.30am to 4.30pm on both the Saturday and Sunday of Pirates Weekend.

Accessibility information

Pirates Weekend is a very popular event so it can get very busy. If you prefer to visit when there are fewer people around then we’d recommend aiming to be there for the first hour of the day, between 10am and 11am, when it’s quieter.

The Barbican is the historic centre of Plymouth and as such most of the site is on cobbled ground with slab pavements.

There’s also a chill out zone in the garden area at the entrance to Basket Ope, if you need to retreat to a calmer space at any point during the weekend. There’s also a quieter picnic area at Queen Anne’s Battery, across the Sutton Harbour footbridge and around 250m away from the heart of the Barbican.

There are public toilets, including disabled toilets and baby change facilities, on the Barbican (PL1 2LR) and at Elphinstone (PL1 2NX).

If you find yourself needing any help on the day, pop into the Barbican Tourist Information Centre or look out for the stewards wearing yellow high-viz jackets as they’ll be happy to help.

For more information and to see exact timings, head to the Pirates Weekend event page.

Pirates Weekend is run by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and is brought to you by the businesses of the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership. Have a fantastic day and thank you for supporting local businesses

The event is supported by Plymouth Active as Official Entertainment sponsor, Barbican Botanics as Tall Ship sponsor, Sutton Harbour Group and Great Western Railway (GWR) as Official Travel Partner of Pirates Weekend.