Looking for something exciting to head to next weekend? The Yorkshire food & drink calendar is well underway. And, the family-friendly Whitby Fish and Ships Festival is set to attract thousands to the quaint Yorkshire coastal town once again.
The playfully named festival has become one of Whitby’s most popular annual events, celebrating the town’s rich fishing heritage and the important role local people continue to play in putting the region firmly on the seafood map.
The two-day festival, organised by North Yorkshire Council, takes place at the Marina Front Car Park from Saturday 16 May to Sunday 17 May. Visitors can enjoy a packed programme of entertainment, including cooking demonstrations from the likes of Head Chef at Tide by Trenchers, Maggie Lubaszewska, who will show you how to sharpen your seafood skills at the fish craft workshops, and giant fish displays showcasing species caught off the North Yorkshire coast.
There will also be traditional maritime activities such as pot sewing, net mending, tug-of-war, rope splicing, and pot stacking, alongside live music from local bands and sea balladeers throughout the weekend. Be on your guard, there will be on-foot entertainment milling around to keep you on your toes and immerse you in the experience.
Whitby has a fascinating maritime history, and events like this help celebrate and preserve those traditions in a fun and engaging way.
Elsewhere, a giant crab puppet created in collaboration with local schools will be unveiled and paraded around the festival. Excitingly, the Whitby Lobster Hatchery will also be releasing baby lobsters from East Pier each day. Visitors can also meet members of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and learn more about the lifesaving work they do along the coast.
Simon Myers, North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for culture and arts, said: “This was a fantastically well attended event last year and I’m confident it will be just as popular again next weekend. It’s important to celebrate Whitby’s maritime heritage and the significant role fishing has played, and continues to play, in shaping the much loved town that it is today.
“Whitby Fish and Ships offers visitors a great opportunity to meet the hugely talented professionals working in the maritime industry and learn more about the contribution they make across North Yorkshire.”
To find out more about the Fish and Ships Festival, head over to the website here.
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