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Plymouth’s Waterfront welcomes the new Marine City Festival

PRESS RELEASE – July 12 2012

A spectacular nine-day festival of seafood, live music, entertainment, aquatic leisure and cultural events has been unveiled as part a unique celebration of Plymouth and its links to the sea this September.

The inaugural Plymouth Marine City Festival is aiming to attract thousands of visitors to Plymouth historic quayside areas and to highlight nationally and internationally the city’s standing as a leading European marine city for research, leisure, heritage and food.

Hosted from September 8-16 at a variety of venues, including The Barbican, Sutton Harbour, The Hoe and the Royal William Yard, the event includes the first Plymouth Seafood Festival and the return of the Ecover Blue Mile.

The Ecover Blue Mile takes place on September 8-9 (www.thebluemile.org) with hundreds of people taking to the water paddling, swimming and kayaking as well as shoreside events full of information and exhibitions celebrating the marine environment.

The new annual Plymouth Seafood Festival (Saturday and Sunday September 15/16), organised by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership (PWP), will provide Barbican quayside stalls, live music, street entertainment and food theatre with top local chefs through both days.  

PWP is also launching a Seafood Trail with restaurants and cafés across the Waterfront and Plymouth City Centre signing up to be part of a nine-day food event highlighting the very best in sustainable and locally caught seafood cooked to perfection.

Sarah O’Leary, Plymouth Waterfront Manager, said: “It’s a priority for PWP’s Waterfront Business Improvement District to develop a new festival to bring more visitors to the Waterfront and with the potential to grow Plymouth’s reputation nationally and internationally as a major visitor destination. The Waterfront provides a stunning setting for events and the Plymouth Seafood Festival promises to be a great addition to annual waterside activities and the Marine City Festival programme.”

A detailed programme of music and chefs as well as a full listing of Waterfront venues taking part in the Plymouth Seafood Festival will be announced in the coming weeks.

The National Marine Aquarium and the University will also be making marine science fun by taking family-themed exhibitions and experiments out on to the streets as part of Just Add H2O (www.justaddh2o.tv) and the Science and Technology Showcase.

The wide-ranging Plymouth Marine City Festival, organised by Destination Plymouth, brings together visitor events, business exhibitions and the world leading Oceans of Potential marine science conference on the Hoe, an initiative of Plymouth’s marine science organisations and coordinated by Plymouth Marine Laboratory (PML). The marine science in Plymouth is world-renowned with one of its organisations, PML, listed 8th of the world in a recent study by Reuters. The conference includes a public debate on the future of our seas chaired by BBC broadcaster Monty Halls and a public lecture by a previous Chief Scientific Advisor of the UK Environment Agency.

Other Plymouth Marine City Festival highlights include:

  • Endless Summer exhibition – Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery - A spectacular look at British surfing over the last 200 years with a focus on Devon and Cornwall.
  • The opening of the prestigious new Marine Building at Plymouth University as part of its 150 year Anniversary
  • 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 on Plymouth Hoe with bespoke events for inward investors, buyers and sellers
  • A programme of music and arts throughout the week

Duncan Currall, chairman of Destination Plymouth, said: “The Plymouth Marine City Festival is a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate Plymouth’s unique relationship with the sea, the way in which it defines our history and environment and continues to inspire so much of what we do here.

The strong programme being developed is aimed at attracting visitors and investors and also lays the foundations for what we want to become a nationally significant recurring festival which puts Plymouth in the spotlight as the UK’s Marine City.”

Plymouth City Council Leader Tudor Evans said: “Plymouth is well-known for its long maritime heritage but its links with the sea still influence almost every aspect of city life – from food, leisure and tourism to cutting-edge marine research. We have made a commitment to promote Plymouth as a global centre for marine energy, engineering and science. The festival will showcase everything that makes Plymouth’s waterfront location so special and there will be loads to see and do. Whether you take to the water in a kayak, get up-close to our marine wildlife or just enjoy the sea air and some locally caught scallops, this is an event not to be missed.”