As well as being one of the UK’s most important fishing towns, Brixham is also a bustling tourist destination, with a packed annual events programme. Indeed the charming and picturesque port not only lands the catch of the day, but an incredibly varied selection of celebrations and festivals as well. Much of the action is centred around the active harbour area. Keep an eye out for Pirate Thursdays over the summer months, when seafaring shenanigans will include ‘Soak the Pirate,’ puppet shows, arts and craft workshops, fancy dress competitions, live music and more piratical fun than you can shake a hook at.
Each year, more than £25 million of fish is landed and auctioned off in Brixham, reaching some of the finest seafood restaurants in the UK and beyond. If your fish-eating experience only extends to just cod, haddock, salmon and mackerel, then the Brixham Fish Market tour could be for you. It’s an early 6am start, but you’ll get to see more than 40 different types of fish in the auction before enjoying a delicious fish breakfast at Rockfish.
Note for Visitors to Brixham: A diversion will be in place but journey times into Brixham will be delayed, further information is available via Brixham Road Closure Update - Torbay Council. Please be assured the majority of businesses in the Brixham area are trading as usual for the time of year
Expect a swashbuckling mix of piratical fun and entertainment over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, when absolutely everyone is encouraged to dress up. Expect street entertainers, live music (from sea shanties to pirate rock), stalls, competitions and period re-enactors, armed with guns and cannons to make plenty of noise. “Arghh, me hearties!”
Sailing Events
Set sail for Brixham and enjoy a whole summer of regatta races and boating fun. The Brixham Heritage Sailing Regatta takes place at the end of May, when the heritage fleet (with their famous red sails) compete in a competition dating back to the early 1800’s. Meanwhile in July, you can enjoy both the Brixham Dingy Regatta and the main sailing Regatta, with lots of fun and entertainment around the marina and harbour.
This is wonderful event for fans of things steam powered and vintage. Taking place on the first weekend in August in Churston, expect wonderful working steam engines, vintage and classic cars, military displays, market stalls, children’s entertainment, a craft and model tent and both beer and tea tents – perfect for letting off some steam yourself.
At the start of September, thousands of visitors regularly enjoy tasting the delicious seafood and marvel at the live theatre cooking demonstrations, featuring some of the English Riviera’s most famous chefs. There’s a big music stage, visits to working fishing trawlers and heritage vessels on the quayside plus lots of fun activities for the children. Best of all, you can sample some delicious seafood treats – it really doesn’t get fresher than this. New events are added all the time, so please keep an eye on our main events page for the latest updates.