Image: Aleks Khotilovski

Britain’s Ocean City, Plymouth has unveiled an exciting events programme for 2019 alongside the announcement that the city will host the finish of the Rolex Fastnet race and the return of the spectacular annual British Fireworks Championships in August 2019.

Plymouth’s 2019 events diary is bursting with a variety of food, cultural, music and sporting events that will take place across the city. Events will include popular music festivals including the Ocean City Blues ‘n Jazz Festival and family favourites, such as Armed Forces Day and Pirates Weekend Plymouth will be back to entertain visitors this coming summer. There will be a striking parade of 40 fabulously colourful and unique elephants to take you on a trail around the beautiful city of Plymouth and surrounding areas as the fundraising ‘Elmer’s Big Parade’ is showcased for 10 weeks from July.

2019 will also see vibrant food festivals, Flavour Fest and Plymouth Seafood Festival tempt thousands of visitors Plymouth’s city centre and waterfront areas to experience a variety of delicious local produce and see live cookery demonstrations by renowned chefs. Sporting endeavours are aplomb with the well-attended Britain’s Ocean City Half Marathon and Plymouth 10k both set to return for their popular May and October spots in the city’s 2019 calendar.

The latter end of the year will see the start of Plymouth’s Mayflower400 programme, an exceptional year of over 400 moments including art, music, theatre, exhibitions, immersive storytelling, digital innovation, literature, crafts, sports, festivals, debates, business activity and more. Highlights will include the Mayflower Muster in Plymouth and light based festival Illuminate. For more detail please visit https://www.visitplymouth.co.uk/

 

‘What’s On’ in Plymouth for 2019:

Plymouth boasts an ocean of events year-round. Here’s an overview of some of the impressive events taking place in Britain’s Ocean City in 2019:

11-12 May – Pirates Weekend Plymouth

Plymouth’s waterfront offers swashbuckling fun on Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 May. This award-winning family event promises to give you a great adventure-filled day out filled with pirates, shanty bands, children’s activities and more.

 

19 May – Britain’s Ocean City Half Marathon

Britain’s Ocean City Half Marathon offers a challenging and scenic 13.1 mile course taking in Plymouth’s famous landmarks. For full details of the Corporate and Services Challenge and to book your spot visit http://www.runplymouth.co.uk/britainsoceancityhalf/.

 

31 May – 2 June – Flavour Fest Food & Drink

Plymouth plays hosts some to some of the best food & drink events in the country including Flavour Fest. Every year more than 100 regional food and drink producers transform the city centre into a bustling continental-style market, with plenty of tempting treats to try and buy.  Flavour Fest has become the biggest free food festival in the South West and is attracts over 100,000 visitors to Plymouth over the weekend. The Kitchen theatre stage plays host to a packed line-up of local chefs and famous faces, which in previous years has included Plymouth’s own Tanner Brothers, Great British Bake Off winner Candice Brown and Master Chef John Torode.

 

29 June – Armed Forces Day

A spectacular and exciting day of entertainment, with air displays, parades, demonstrations, displays, competitions and activities for the whole family.​ During the event the Royal Navy, Army, RAF, Royal Marines and veteran’s organisations, charities and the emergency services will showcase their services in a variety of ‘villages’ set out across Plymouth’s Hoe,

 

8 July – 15 Sep – Elmer’s Big Parade

For 10 weeks in the summer of 2019, a parade of 40 fabulously colourful and unique elephants will take you on a trail around the beautiful city of Plymouth and surrounding areas. St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth is working in partnership with Wild in Art and Andersen Press to bring this mass participation, family friendly, art trail to life; featuring the much beloved children’s character of Elmer, by Devon born artist and author David McKee. Alongside the original Elmer, there will be 40 further sculptures on parade; each featuring a unique design created by some of our amazing local artists. At the end of the summer each of the beautifully designed Elmers will be auctioned to raise funds for St Luke’s Hospice Plymouth

 

6-8 August – Fastnet Race Finish

Plymouth will host the finish of the 2019 Rolex Fastnet race. Plymouth has marked the end of the biennial yacht race since its inception in 1925. Starting in Cowes on the Isle of Wight, competitors cover a course of 608 nautical miles and round the Fastnet Rock off the southwest coast of Ireland before returning via the Isles of Scilly to finish in Plymouth. Yachts come from all over the world to compete in the race which will start on Saturday 3 August 2019. The first yachts are expected to arrive in Plymouth in the early hours of Monday 5 August. The Plymouth race village will be located at Yacht Haven at Mount Batten and will be open to the public from Tuesday 6 to Thursday 8 August, with live music, family friendly activities and opportunities for local people to try their hand at on-water activities like sailing, kayaking and Stand Up Paddleboarding.

 

9-11 August – Ocean City Blues ‘n Jazz Festival

The Rolex Fastnet will be followed by the free Britain’s Ocean City Blues n Jazz Festival located at Plymouth’s Barbican area, from Friday 9 to Sunday 11 August, rounding off a week of celebration. More details to be announced.

 

14-15 August – British Firework Championship

The world famous British Firework Championships is set to return to Plymouth’s waterfront on 14 and 15 August 2019. It is one of the biggest firework displays in the country and has for the last 20 years delivered a burst of lights and creativity for all the family to enjoy. Families return year after year for this spectacular annual event, hoping for a warm summer’s evening and an incredible display as firework companies from across the UK compete to be crowned the best. Offering two nights of breath-taking pyrotechnics that are completely free to enjoy – this is an event not to be missed.

 

14-15 September – Seafood Festival

Plymouth Seafood Festival is a two day celebration of the city’s enduring relationship with the sea and its traditional fishing industry, as well as its growing reputation as a food lover’s haven. With plenty to buy and see the festival will showcase Plymouth’s fantastic quality local seafood alongside demonstrations by local chefs; teaching you how to create mouth-watering dishes using catch fresh off the boats.

 

6 October – Plymouth 10k

Plymouth 10k is the largest road race in Devon and Cornwall. The race attracts in the region of 3,000 competitors and is suitable for runners of all abilities. The course is a fast, relatively flat, traffic-free road race that takes an out and back route through Plymouth’s historic city centre landmarks and the nearby scenic River Plym.

 

November 2019 to December 2020 – Mayflower 400 Programme begins

2020 will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower ship’s pioneering voyage from Plymouth UK to Plymouth USA. Plymouth’s Mayflower400 programme will be an exceptional year of over 400 moments including art, music, theatre, exhibitions, immersive storytelling, digital innovation, literature, crafts, sports, festivals, debates, business activity and more. Highlights will include the Mayflower Muster in Plymouth and light based festival Illuminate. For more detail on the Mayflower400 Plymouth Programme visit: https://www.mayflower400uk.org/visit/plymouth-england/

 

For more information on Plymouth’s what’s on events programme visit: https://www.visitplymouth.co.uk/

 

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