Plymouth Seafood Festival

About

The Barbican and Sutton Harbour will come alive on Saturday 15 and Sunday 16 September, with a celebration of locally sourced and sustainably caught, high quality seafood.

Now in its seventh year, the Plymouth Seafood Festival will be supporting the fishing industry by offering a weekend full of delicious dishes for all the family to enjoy as well as hands-on activities, including children’s cookery fun, where they can touch and taste local produce.

We have many reasons to celebrate our fishing industry; Plymouth was the first in the world to be awarded the Fish2Fork Blue Fish status for its commitment to sourcing sustainable fish.

Plymouth also has the second largest fish market in the UK, where every day the market can receive up to as much as 60 tons of fish. It’s no surprise that we have such variety of fantastic seafood restaurants along the waterfront. The festival is a celebration of this and an opportunity to support our local fishing industry in a weekend of family-fun.

Well-known regional chefs from some of the best restaurants in the South West, will be showing off their culinary skills in the special Cookery Theatre. Throughout the weekend visitors can sample the delights of everything from lobster to whelk, as well as learning some new cooking techniques. Join in the fish auction of the day’s freshly caught catch; all contributions support the Fisherman’s Mission charity.

You will be spoilt for choice with the huge selection of delicious food stalls to enjoy, and the children will love the crabbing competition taking place from 2.30pm along the harbour side by the Boathouse Café on Sunday 16 September. Prizes will be awarded on the main stage.

CATERed will be entertaining the children with hands-on cookery fun and activities at their Kids Kitchen, where they can learn about local produce through touch and taste.

We are looking forward to welcoming the festival’s official resident artist, Debby Mason, who will have her fabulous artwork and products on display. Commissioned by the Plymouth Trawler Agents, Debby has created a beautiful poster showing all 50 fish species which can be found from our local waters. These will be available to purchase from her stand. 

Fishing vessels provided by Interfish will be moored alongside Quay Square. This is a great opportunity to see the vessels and chat to the local fisherman about their fascinating and sometimes forbidding experiences out on the water. And, more importantly, where to purchase the freshest, locally caught seafood.

We are excited to see the return of the fantastic Cardboard Boat Race, which will be on Commercial Wharf on Saturday 15 September. Build a boat out of nothing but a few bits of cardboard and some sticky tape, and sail it around a course in Plymouth harbour. The winner is the last one to sink! Teams can either opt into the pre-build option or build on the day.

Join in the fun and support this fantastic charity at the RNLI open day, on Commercial Wharf. This family fun event will provide the opportunity to chat to the RNLI volunteers and explore the lifeboats and rescue equipment.

Visit the RockFish Plymouth Crab Festival on Sunday 16 September, where there where there will be live music throughout the day, entertainment and lots of fantastic crab dishes to enjoy. The party kicks off at 12pm and free to attend, so feel free to turn up on the day and get involved. 

The Plymouth Sustainable Fish City campaign, part of Reconnect, is run by the National Marine Aquarium, and began in 2013 with the aim of bringing together a range of partners and initiatives to deliver change that supports responsible, local production and consumption.