Celebrate our city by the sea with Seafest Plymouth, returning across the waterfront this month!   

There's more activities to savour this year as the event stretches from the cobbled streets of The Barbican to the lawns of Mount Edgcumbe House, with activities also taking place at Tinside Lido, Trinity Pier, Royal William Yard and Mount Batten! 

Check out all you need to know about this year’s fun!  

When is it?  

Seafest Plymouth takes place on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September between 10am and 5pm.  

Where is it?  

Seafest will take place right across the waterfront once again this year. Events are taking place on The Barbican, Sutton Harbour, Royal William Yard, Mount Batten, Tinside Lido, Trinity Pier and Mount Edgcumbe in celebration of this year’s event.        

The Barbican and Sutton Harbour  

The historic Barbican and Sutton Harbour is always a popular venue for Seafest and as ever there are plenty of activities and things to do here throughout the weekend.   

Visitors can revel in the vibrant Seafest atmosphere with plenty of trader stalls to take a look at throughout the streets. Feast upon the locally-caught seafood dishes, shop after sea-themed crafts, listen to live music, keep an eye out the giant roaming Seagull acts, and more across the weekend.   

Don’t miss the cookery theatre, which is returning this year. The stage on The Parade will feature some of the area’s top chefs who will demonstrate their culinary brilliance. At the end of each day, a fish auction hosted by Ben Squire will take place from 3.30pm. The fish has been donated by Seafish, and all proceeds from the auction will be donated to Fishermen’s Mission.    

Other exciting things you must check out include the free Rockpool Ramble Trail which will take you on a journey around The Barbican, as well as the Festival Bar on West Pier. Sponsored by Venton’s Devon Cyder, the bar will be serving refreshing drinks across the weekend.    

Find out what’s on and when at The Barbican and Sutton Harbour page. 

Tinside Lido and West Pier  

Celebrate the 90th anniversary of Tinside Lido at Seafest. To commemorate the occasion, Tinside is giving you the chance to swim in the iconic pool for just 90p on various sessions across the weekend. To add to the fun the Lido will also be the host of the Tinside Motion Picture Show.

Taking place on the sundeck, the outdoor cinema is showing popular films across the weekend. Lastly, following the success of last year the Tinside doggy swim is back on Sunday 14 September in what will be the Lido’s final opening of the summer season. 

Keep an eye out for the Pelican of London Tall ship at Trinity Pier.  Throughout the weekend, visitors will be able to meet the crew, explore the ship, and discover more about the charity’s innovative programmes. 

Visit Tinside Lido and Trinity Pier for further information.   

Royal William Yard  

The Royal William Yard is hosting Seafest once again this year. There is plenty of activities to take part in at the year. Discover an assortment of free things to do at the family fun zone, have a go at Stand Up Paddleboarding, visit the pop-up stands, crawl into the belly of an enormous inflatable Sperm Whale for a marine magic tale and more across the weekend.  

Discover more about what you can get up to at the Royal William Yard this weekend for Seafest.  

Mount Edgcumbe and Mount Batten  

After last year’s resounding success, Seafest is returning to Mount Edgcumbe and Mount Batten this year. There’s opportunities to explore the 17th century Mount Batten Tower, get on the water with kayak, sailing and Stand Up Pddleboard sessions from Mount Batten Watersports and Activities Centre. 

You can explore the glorious gardens of Mount Edgcumbe as well as the fascinating Mount Edgcumbe House with tours taking place across the weekend. 

Find out more and book activities at Mount Edgcumbe and Mount Batten for Seafest. 

Boat Trips 

A number of boat trips are taking place across the water for Seafest. Sponsors Plymouth Boat Trips are providing several themed trips along the waves.

Other boat trips are taking place including a one hour sailing journey about the Bounty, a stunning replica vessel from Channel 4's Mutiny, as well as the Ocean Conservation Trust.

Discover more and book your place on boat trips for Seafest.

How to get there  

If you are travelling by car there is parking available at/nearby all the locations for Seafest this year. All areas are expected to be busy due to the event and parking will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit our how to get to Seafest page for further information on specific locations.  

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.  

You can also travel via bus with the return of the ‘shark and ride’ service taking place throughout the weekend. Operated by Plymouth Citybus, the service will run from 10am-4pm on Saturday and Sunday running every 45 minutes.   

Furthermore you can reach Seafest by boat this year. Both Plymouth Boat Trips and The Mount Batten Ferry are offering 50% off tickets especially for the festival. These ticket will only be available on the day. There will be no advanced bookings and tickets are subject to availability.

Find out more about the discounted ferry services and the timetables.   

Road closures  

Several road closures are in place for the weekend. The Parade / Basket Ope from 7am on Thursday 11 September to 2pm on Monday 15 September. Southside Street, The Barbican and Commercial Road from 9.30am to 5.30pm on Saturday 13 and Sunday 14 September. Pilgrim Way / West Pier from 8am on Thursday 11 September to 4pm on Monday 15 September. 

Find out more access information for Seafest. 

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 are public toilets, including disabled toilets and baby change facilities, on the Barbican (PL1 2LR), Plymouth Hoe Promenade,West Hoe, 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.  

Information Towers will be dotted around the area to answer any queries that may be had.   

Discover further accessibility information for Seafest. 

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.  

For further themed Plymouth inspiration, exclusive offers and things to do in the city, sign up to our free Visit Plymouth e-newsletter. 

---

In partnership with GWR, Destination Plymouth’s lead travel partner