Categories

“Dive in” to Plymouth’s Marine City Festival

Plymouth will celebrate its historic, unique and scientific connections with the sea and all things marine in its first Marine City Festival, to be held in September this year.

The Festival (www.marinecityfestival.co.uk) aims to raise awareness, nationally and internationally, of Plymouth’s role as a leading UK marine city, for research, leisure, heritage and food. As well as attracting local residents, families and visitors to the City to enjoy a range of fabulous events and activities, the Festival will also challenge and encourage key thinkers, academics, environmentalists, writers and others to debate one of the hottest topics around – the future sustainability of our seas and oceans.

The Festival will combine world-leading scientific debate on the future of our oceans with a varied and exciting range of marine related events and activities, including:

  • Oceans of Potential -  a world leading marine science conference  with Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Plymouth Marine Sciences and featuring BBC broadcaster Monty Halls
  • The opening of the prestigious new Marine Sciences Building at Plymouth University as part of its 150 year Anniversary
  • A fabulous seafood festival focussing on sustainably sourced fish in the lively and atmospheric Barbican and Sutton Harbours – featuring locally caught seafood and top local chefs
  • Paddling, swimming and kayaking as part of the mass participation Ecover “Blue Mile” event
  • Learning and great family fun at Just Add H2O with the National Marine Aquarium
  • Celebrating and experiencing art, music and performance with the City Museum, Peninsula Arts and Plymouth Arts Centre throughout the Festival
  • A major marine business expo with bespoke events for inward investors, buyers and sellers

Throughout the week the Festival will play host to a varied programme of family events and activities based around the Waterfront organised by the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and cultural events, performances and exhibitions supported by the Plymouth Culture Board and partners.

Festival organisers want the event to become internationally renowned, showcasing the best of everything Plymouth has to offer, a “signature event” inspiring visitors to come to the City and providing opportunities for local communities to reconnect with the sea.

Duncan Currall, Chairman of Destination Plymouth, said: “Last year’s America’s Cup World Series highlighted just how well Plymouth can put on a world class event - centred on our unique maritime location but also encompassing wider opportunities to attract visitors and investors.

“The Plymouth Marine City Festival brings together all that is best in Plymouth, from our unique coastal environment to the city’s marine enterprise and research strengths and our growing reputation for great food.

“The result is a programme that caters to a broad audience, which will attract visitors and investors and which can become a nationally significant recurring festival that will allow the city to make the claim that Plymouth is the UK’s Marine City.”

Cabinet Member for Planning, Strategic Housing and Economic Development, Councillor Ted Fry said: “This festival is part of an exciting programme of events that will bring in visitors to our amazing city, but also give our residents the chance to learn more about some of the superb work that goes on in our city as well as have some fun.“

In tandem with the development of the Marine City Festival, a series of thought provoking articles is being published during 2012 with the first (by Professor Martin Attrill, Director of the Marine Institute at Plymouth University, and BBC broadcaster and marine biologist Monty Halls) calling for a national debate over marine management. See: http://www.marinecityfestival.co.uk/index.php/news/article/is_it_time_to_change_the_way_we_view_the_use_of_our_seas1

 

ENDS

 

Notes for Editors:-

The Festival is organised by Destination Plymouth and runs from 8 - 16 September.

Key elements of the Marine City Festival programme already confirmed include:

Oceans of Potential – Sept 10-13 – The Hoe - This marine science conference organised by Plymouth Marine Laboratory and the Plymouth Marine Sciences Partnership has already attracted some of the world’s leading experts and puts Plymouth and its huge expertise in marine science right at the heart of the debate on the future sustainable use of the world’s oceans. It will also feature a public Question Time-style debate with a top panel of high profile experts chaired by BBC broadcaster Monty Halls.

Seafood Festival – Sept 14-16 – Plymouth Waterfront - Led by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and celebrating Plymouth’s enduring relationship with the sea, its thriving fishing industry and the city’s growing reputation as a gourmet hotspot. The Seafood Festival will give real meaning to the topical issues being discussed at Ocean of Potential with the choices we all face in how our seafood is sourced. It will take place on the city’s Waterfront showcasing the fantastic quality seafood available in Plymouth, with well known local and national chefs demonstrating a range of mouth-watering dishes using catch fresh off the boats and a packed programme of linked events and festival offers with local restaurants.

Ecover Blue Mile – Sept 8-9 – Plymouth Waterfront - Aiming to connect more people with our blue environment, and raise vital funds to help protect it, the Ecover Blue Mile is an exciting mass participation sponsored event asking people to complete one mile, either in or next to water. This year the Blue Mile will feature a swim, stand up paddle, kayak, aquatriathlon and walk to raise money for WWF-UK.

Just Add H2O Family Science Festival - Over the weekend of 15th and 16th September, the National Marine Aquarium will host a fun and engaging Marine Science and Technology showcase that will feature the very best of entertainment and education for kids and family. It will follow a week-long ‘Just Add H2O STEMFest for Schools’ (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), again based around the National Marine Aquarium and designed to be an inspiring and motivating showcase of marine science and technology that is shaping the way we relate to our oceans.

150 with Plymouth University – The opening of the prestigious new Marine Building and a range of events including a navigation conference ‘Glancing back – Looking Forward’ designed to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the founding of Plymouth’s School of Navigation and alumni events including a dinner on the Hoe and a Service of Celebration at St Andrews Minster Church.

Business Showcase - Sept 11-12 – The Hoe  – Led by Plymouth Chamber of Commerce and a focal point for the city’s inward investment activity linked to the Marine City Festival. The event will feature key note speakers, exhibitions and presentation by city companies, meet the buyer and seller networking events as well as targeted events to attract high quality inward investment to the city.

Art and Exhibitions - Including newly commissioned Contemporary Artwork led by Plymouth Arts Centre and Endless Summer - a spectacular look at British surfing over the last 200 years, led by Plymouth City Museum and brought to life for families and children during the Festival.

 

For more information please contact:

John Casey

DCA Public Relations

01208 77900

john.casey@dca-pr.co.uk