The Whitby Fish and Ships Festival returns on 18-19 May, celebrating the town’s rich maritime heritage. Head to the coast for two jam-packed days of cookery demos, live music, entertainment, craft activities and much more!
Seafood Kitchen and Fish Craft Marquee
Whitby and great quality seafood go hand in hand, and in the Seafood Kitchen you will be treated to mouth-watering cooking demonstrations by some of the best local chefs:
Enjoy demonstrations of fish craft skills, including filleting by master filleter Andrew Hodgson, net mending, pot making, crab and lobster dressing in the Fish Craft Tent, and pick up some top tips to try at home.
Browse the stalls along Endeavour Wharf and pick up some artisan goods and local produce including homemade jams, tempting tipples, artisan cheese and local spirits.
Get creative in the Museums Marquee
In collaboration with Whitby Museum, Pannett Art Gallery and Whitby Library, kids can take part in crafty workshops where they’ll create expressive art for a large sea backdrop, showcasing life above and beneath the waves, and even under the seabed.
The Cook Museum will introduce a variety of marine animals and sea creatures to make, plus there’ll be tabletop games and other sea-themed crafts.
Create your own prehistoric sea creatures with Whitby Museum to fill up the sea on the giant collage and test your eye for beach finds at the beach fossil hunting tray.
Live Music
There will be free live music all weekend, including local bands at the Endeavour Wharf Music Marquee. Over at Whitby Bandstand, tap along to live folk music and sea shanties from the likes of Men of Staithes and Fylingdales Folk Choir.
Theatre performances
Dogwood Productions, the Whitby-based professional theatre company, will be presenting two new shows across the weekend:
“Storm In a Chip Shop”
As the chips shop customers queue, sheltering from the rain, local gossip turns to re-enacting the heroic 1881 endeavour, where the Whitby lifeboat was carried across the snow-covered moors to conduct a rescue at Robin Hood’s Bay under the command of the iconic Victorian hero, Henry Freeman.
“Life, Love, Chips”
Unrequited love, heartbreak, hardship and dreams all with chips and across the deep fat fryer.
Each show will last around 30 minutes and admission is free. In between shows, Dogwood will also be providing free puppetry workshops to bring their creations to life.
Street entertainment
Kids big and small will be in their element with walkabout entertainment and face painting. Animated Objects return to the festival this year with their new walkabout act, Galleons Ahoy!!
They’ll be on walkabout aboard their land-based galleons in Whitby across the festival weekend. Give them a wave, stop for a selfie and prepare yourself for some hearty banter and tall tales as the pirate code clashes swords with the pride of the King’s fleet! There may even be a shanty or two on the way…
Fisher Lassie Bidi Iredale will be entertaining festivalgoers with fishing songs from long ago and tales about the fisher lassies that used to work along the East Coast, meanwhile Jack Sparrow and The Guard will be roaming the town on Saturday, with Hook and Smee dropping in on Sunday.
Find out more about Fish and Ships on the Discover Yorkshire Coast website, and follow the Whitby Fish and Ships Facebook page HERE
*Sponsored blog for Discover Yorkshire Coast
