News from the Plymouth Barbican
Barbican Easter Trail 2025
We carrot wait for you to join us once again this year for some Easter fun on the Barbican with our Easter Trail.
Pick up your FREE trail leaflet during 5th April to 22nd April from the Tourist Information Centre or download via the Barbican Waterfront website.
The Easter Bunny must find all the carrots he’s planted in his patch around the Barbican, find them all and come back for a little treat the bunny has left for you.
We’re rooting for you !
The Batty Barbican Halloween Trail
🦇 BARBICAN HALLOWEEN TRAIL (26th October to 3rd November) 🦇
Hang out with our batty friends on the Barbican this Halloween.
You don’t need echolocation to find these bats! Just pop into the Tourist Information Centre and pick up a trail sheet for some free Halloween fun this Half Term!
Complete your trail sheet, return with your answers to the Tourist Information Centre to receive a treat!
Santa Fun Run returns to Plymouth waterfront this December!
Get ready to jingle all the way to the finish line this December as the Santa Fun Run makes its return to Plymouth’s waterfront for the second consecutive year.
Organised by Saltram Rotary, and supported by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership, the festive event will be held on Sunday 8th December, starting and finishing on the Barbican.
Participants of all ages are invited to don their Santa suits (all included with the registration fee) and enjoy the fun run, jolly jog, or wonderful walk of either a 2.5km or 5km route through the city’s beautiful waterfront all to support local charities Jeremiah’s Journey and Shekinah.
Jon Walton, CEO, and Kim Downer, Business Liaison Manager, Plymouth Waterfront Partnership:
“We’re so excited to see the Santa Fun Run return to the Barbican and waterfront for a second year. Last year hundreds of Santas (including me [Jon]!) either walked, jogged or ran along our fantastic historic roads and enjoyed spectacular waterfront views. We really hope even more people will enter into the Christmas Spirit and participate this year to raise even more money for two such worthy local charities, Jeremiah’s Journey and Shekinah.”
Roger Punch, Saltram Rotary Club:
“Following on from the enormous success of the Plymouth Santa Fun Run on the waterfront last year, we are delighted to be able to take the plunge again this year. Again, primarily supporting Shekinah and Jeremiah’s Journey, who are such worthy charities, both providing invaluable support for the local community, we are looking forward to building on the exceptionally positive feedback that we received. With invaluable support from the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership, we have the realistic ambition of having 1000 Santas on the start line on 8th December.”
John Naismith, Jeremiah’s Journey:
“We are absolutely delighted that Saltram Rotary have selected Jeremiah’s Journey to be one of the supported charities for the Plymouth Santa Fun Run along with our friends at Shekinah. Being a part of such a high-profile fun run provides us the platform to promote the essential service that our Bereavement Services Team provide for children, young people and families in and around Plymouth. We are looking forward to many people joining us and there is every chance that you will see Jeremiah Bear complete the full 5k of the Plymouth Santa Fun Run again this year.”
Kristy Winters, Shekinah:
“We are thrilled to announce that Shekinah has once again been chosen as one of the beneficiary charities for the Plymouth Santa Fun Run. This event is a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness and support those most in need in our community. We are equally excited to be partnering with Jeremiah’s Journey once again! Our heartfelt thanks go out to the Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and the Saltram Rotary for their continued support and dedication. We look forward to another successful and meaningful event this year!”
The Santa Fun Run will take place on Sunday 8th December at 11am. Registrations for the event will be open in the next couple of weeks – please visit https://www.plymouthsantafunrun.co.uk/ for more information. All entrants receive a FREE Santa Suit and finishing medal as part of the entry fee.
Seafest Plymouth 2024 returns with a new partnership announcement
Plymouth Waterfront Partnership, Plymouth City Council and Plymouth Sound National Marine Park are pleased to announce a new and exciting partnership for Seafest 2024. The hugely popular annual festival, celebrating Plymouth’s vibrant waterfront, promises to be bigger and better than ever before.
Seafest 2024 will take place on Saturday 14th and Sunday 15th September, transforming Plymouth’s historic waterfront, from Bretonside to Royal William Yard and reaching across the water to Mount Batten and Mount Edgcumbe. The festival will offer a wide range of family friendly activities, showcasing the best of Plymouth’s food and drink, local businesses, live music, entertainment, and marine-inspired fun and inspiration, both on and off the water.
The exciting new partnership with Plymouth Sound National Marine Park complements Seafest, by providing an even greater focus on marine activities, opportunities to engage with the water and ways to look after our much-loved Plymouth Sound. Plymouth Sound National Marine Park is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Jon Walton, CEO, and Kim Downer, Business Liaison Manager, from Plymouth Waterfront Partnership:
“Seafest really is only achievable because of our levy payers and key stakeholders so we always want to ensure that each year we strive to provide the ‘best one yet’. The collaboration with Plymouth Sound National Marine Park is a natural fit – we’re really excited by the partnership.”
Seafest is the epitome of Plymouth’s waterfront – family friendly, local produce, entertainment, a fantastic local offer, showing off our wonderful marine and maritime heritage – we’d encourage everyone to come along for the weekend and ‘sea’ and experience it.”
Councillor Tudor Evans OBE, Leader, Plymouth City Council:
“This collaboration goes together like locally sustainably caught fish and chips – great as individuals, but even better together! By partnering with Plymouth Waterfront Partnership for Seafest, we’re able to let even more people know about the UK’s first National Marine Park and all the ways our local community, and visitors to the city, can get involved. With a wide range of free activities that our gateway partners are providing there’s plenty of opportunities to give some a go!”
Seafest is free to attend and offers something for everyone. Highlights include:
- A mouthwatering array of fresh seafood and other sumptuous dishes from local restaurants and producers complete with the traditional fish auction in the Barbican
- A live music stage featuring a diverse range of artists and entertainment including the ever-popular shanty bands, some of which will appear in local venues in the evening
- Across Plymouth Sound National Marine Park at Mount Batten, Tinside Lido and Mount Edgcumbe there will be a wide range of taster sessions to get people in, on, under and near the water, including free swimming sessions, SCUBA diving, sailing, kayaking, stand-up paddleboarding and more
- Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Mount Batten Tower on the Sunday which boosts spectacular panoramic views of Plymouth Sound National Marine Park
- At Royal William Yard there will be marine themed activities for all the family and opportunities to explore the waters of Firestone Bay
- On the Barbican there will be fun-filled activities for children of all ages including the return of the popular Seafest trail
- Ocean Conservation Trust will be hosting an evening at the National Marine Aquarium on the Sunday evening, celebrating Seafest with a special Ocean Conversations event, and The Box will have free puppetry workshops for children following the story of The Whale’s Tale
- At West Hoe Pier volunteers will be taking part in a marine clean up; visitors can also find out about the history that lies on the bottom of Plymouth Sound
- Doggy Dip – don’t miss the season-ending doggy dip at Tinside Lido on the Sunday afternoon
- And much more!
This year, Seafest’s headline sponsor is Ocean MINI. Venton’s Cyder and The Early Bird are the Seafest’s official bar and entertainment programme sponsors respectively.
Seafest is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate Britain’s Ocean City – sea you there.
Old Time Sailors live at the Plymouth Stable this summer
Setting sail to the Plymouth Stable this July, 21-piece band ‘The Old Time Sailors’ invite guests to travel back in time to the 19th century and join them for an immersive experience of traditional seafaring music! #Advert
Taking to Plymouth Stable’s outdoor terrace, overlooking the bustling Barbican harbour, 21-piece band ‘Old Time Sailors’ will summon crowds from near and far as they put on a wildly interactive performance of upbeat old folk and traditional sea shanty songs. Made up of 20 musicians, The Old Time Sailors crew will be performing over 40 songs using traditional instruments, and all dressed in realistic sea shanty attire, transporting the crowd to being onboard their 19th century vessel.
“We couldn’t think of a better location than our harbourside terrace to have Old Time Sailors perform, there will be a fantastic atmosphere, and it’s something the whole family can get involved in” – Says Kate Nayler, General Manager of The Stable
Guests are encouraged to come down for pre-performance pizzas and pints, fuelling-up for a night of foot stomping, dancing and drunken sailor debauchery!
Led by Captain Nicholas Moffat, Old Time Sailors consists of 20 musicians, multiple voices and over 30 traditional instruments, playing a repertoire of over 40 songs. The band play fully unplugged to ensure a dynamic and interactive experience, and have recently made their debut at popular UK festivals, including El Dorado in Herefordshire and Download festival in Leicestershire.
Performances start from 7:30pm on all select dates – Wednesday 10th July and Tuesday 30th July from 7:30pm, entry is free and no bookings
#LoveTheBarbican
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