Avast ye! Details revealed for Pirates Weekend in May 

11th May 2023

Get your Jolly Rogers, eye patches and treasure maps at the ready for the return of Pirates Weekend on Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 May 2023. Explore a treasure trove of free activities across the Barbican, Sutton Harbour and waterfront for all of the family to fall in love with.

The event, run by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership Business Improvement District (PWP BID), offers an impressive line-up of FREE entertainment including pirate storytelling, tall ships, demonstrations of canon and musket firing, mermaid encounters, stilt walkers, arts and crafts activities, face painting and appearances from lovable rogue, Captain Jack Sparrow.

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. 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.

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’.

Two tall ships, the Pilot Cutter Olga and the 19^th century Pilgrim of Brixham, will also be docked alongside Quay Square and visitors are welcome to hop aboard and explore the ships for free.

Jon Walton, CEO of Plymouth Waterfront Partnership said: “We’re absolutely delighted to be expanding the hugely popular Pirates Weekend this year to West Hoe Park and Royal William Yard. The event encourages thousands of visitors to enjoy our beautiful waterfront and experience all the thrills that the high seas have to offer.

“Waterfront businesses love to get involved too, with amazing window displays and lots of fancy dress, which is actively encouraged. Bring the whole family for a great day out and I’d urge you to please show your support for our local shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, without whom this event would not be possible.”

This year, fourteen talented local shanty bands will be performing in the waterfront throughout the weekend to entertain the crowds. A number of the bands will also be performing in nearby pubs after the main event has finished for the day, between 4pm and 7pm, on Saturday 20 May at various locations in the waterfront. Visit Plymouth has full details.

There will be a chill-out zone in the garden area at the entrance to Basket Ope and a green space picnic area at Commercial Place, which will provide accessible calmer spaces for visitors to retreat to if they need it.

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.

For all the latest information about Pirates Weekend, please visit: visitplymouth.co.uk/plympiratesweekend or the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership Facebook page.