Celebrate our city by the sea with Seafest Plymouth!

When is it?

Seafest Plymouth takes place on Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 September between 10am and 5pm.

Where is it?

Head to the Barbican, Sutton Harbour and waterfront to enjoy all the action. There is an array of trader stalls on The Parade, with conservation and education displays on Quay Square, and the cookery theatre and official bar is at West Pier (by the Mayflower Steps). Commercial Wharf will be hosting the Cardboard Boat Race on Saturday and music and entertainment on Sunday. With more activities at Tinside Pool and Royal William Yard.

There’s plenty of fin-tastic fun to be had throughout the weekend, with bucket loads of entertainment and activities to enjoy. Plymouth is the Plaice to be this weekend! Here are some of the highlights…

Visit the Barbican and Sutton Harbour

Shop for some tasty treats and gifts from trader stalls lining the streets of The Parade, Quay Square and West Pier, selling delicious street food as well as some special treats to take away – you’ll find everything from shellfish to spice kits, fudge, liqueurs and even cheese on offer!

The festival’s resident artist, Debby Mason, will also be in attendance, selling her beautiful sea themed prints. Why not pick up a mug or hand-printed textile to take home with you and brighten up your kitchen?

Learn about what fish can be found in our local waters, with the fish display on Quay Square. Children will love getting their hands wet, with The Rock Pool Project located opposite the Tourist Information Centre. And a chance to get crafty with scallop shell painting, plus face painting, hook’a’duck, games and dress up challenges plus a squid dissection!

Calling all ocean explorers! Seek out the 10 beautiful illustrations of sea life by Debby Mason, in this free walking trail, and collect your sweetie treat at the end from the Tourist Information Centre. Pick up a Seafest leaflet from the Tourist Information Centre and follow the trail.

Watch David French make their traditional lobster pots from willow, ensuring that the old heritage craft that is currently on the endangered red list, continues on.

Be inspired by the local top chefs as they cook up some delicious delights using locally caught and sustainably sourced products from the Cookery Theatre. You can enjoy a refreshing drink from the festival bar, whilst learning some new cooking techniques. Don’t miss the auction at the end of each day, with the proceeds going to The Fishermen’s Mission.

El Galeon, Spanish Tall Ship will be docked at the Barbican Landing Stage from 12 to 17 September. This amazing 17th Century Spanish Galleon replica is one of only two in the world, and is essentially a floating museum. Subject to weather conditions – booking required.

Watch or take part in the IMechE Cardboard Boat Race at Commercial Wharf on Saturday, and make a boat out of nothing but cardboard and sticky tape, sail it around the harbour. The winner is the last one to sink!

Listen to sea shanties performed by talented local shanty bands, who will be performing a mix of traditional shanties from various points across the waterfront, from Quay Square, Commercial Wharf and Royal William Yard. Plus, more live music from 5pm to 6.30pm on Saturday, as artists perform at nearby pubs if you want to listen some more. Watch the street dance performance by Toby G MBE, and enjoy the street performers throughout the weekend.

There will be a choice of boat trips available from Commercial Wharf, including Fish N Trips! Plus a seafood BBQ & outside bar at the Boathouse Café and a fish market.

Don’t forget you can hop over to Royal William Yard by Ferry too.

Across the Waterfront:

Tinside Lido is staying open for swimming on Saturday 10am until 6pm, and Sunday 10am until 4pm. and from 4.30pm until 6pm you can bring your four-legged buddy to swim with you at Tinside Lido!

You will find a full programme of activities and entertainment at Royal William Yard, from 10am to 3pm. Children can take part in a circus workshop on Saturday, GEO-trail, Sea Life Hide & Seek challenge, face painting, crafts, live performances, theatre and music. Plus paddle boarding with South West SUP, a seafood market and BBQ with the Hook & Line, where you can choose your favourite freshly caught seafood and have it cooked for you.

Unfortunately, we no longer have the scheduled activity for West Hoe Park, but there are still lots of fun things to do across the waterfront.

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 The Barcode is also less than a ten minute walk from all the action.

If you’re travelling from further afield then GWR are 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. Why not try getting around the waterfront with the Beryl Bikes?

Road closures

Please note Basket Ope and The Parade will be closed to traffic and parking from Thursday 14 September at 7am until Sunday 17 September 5pm.

Accessibility information

Seafest Plymouth 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.

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 Tourist Information Centre or look out for the stewards wearing yellow high-viz jackets as they’ll happy to help.

For more information and to see exact timings, head to the Seafest Plymouth website.

Seafest Plymouth is brought to you by the business of the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership, and sponsored by Eco-Plug.