Everything you need to know about Whitby Fish & Ships Festival, which takes place on May 20-21
Whitby Fish & Ships Festival returns this May, with an impressive line-up sure to wow locals and draw in visitors from around Yorkshire and beyond.
The event highlights a wealth of culture and heritage in the region, tied firmly to its fishing roots.
The festival takes place mainly on Dock End and Endeavour Wharf, as well as a number of venues around the town.
Music from the sea
Music goes hand-in-hand with a life at sea, and shanties will be headlining the show including local choirs, groups and performances from Flash Jack, The Keelers and The Doomfolk. The main venues are the Endeavour Wharf Music Tent, Whitby bandstand, The Endeavour Experience and Whitby Library. Enjoy live performances throughout the day on Saturday and Sunday from 10.30am to 5pm.
On the evenings of Thursday 18th and Friday 19th May at Flowergate Hall, Flash Company Arts will be bringing a modern take on electronic music
A taste of the ocean
One of the most anticipated features of the festival is the Seafood Kitchen Marquee, where top local and celebrity chefs will be cooking up something extra special. This year’s guest acts include 2022 MasterChef winner Eddie Scott, Simon Crannage from Grantley Hall, Paul Gildroy from The Magpie Café, Phil Akrill from Raithwaite Hall and Andrew Nightingale from Hawsker’s Hare & Hounds.
With seafood a central point to all the cooking events, expect imaginative ideas that encapsulate the flavours of Whitby.
Getting creative
A glimpse of the mysterious arts of prepping fish and making marvellous meals from the ocean will be on show in the Fish Craft Tent, along with the associated talents used at every stage in the fishing process. Andrew Hodgson and Paul Gildroy will be showing how the professionals do it, and there will be sessions on lobster pot making, net mending and crab and lobster dressing.
Guided tours
Want to see behind the scenes of Whitby’s lobster hatchery? Guided tours will be taking place on Saturday and Sunday of the new visitor centre on Pier Road, with a strong emphasis on sustainability of fishing reserves and ethical trading.
More for all ages
Kids will love the balloon-modelling, face-painting and trampolines, everyone will enjoy browsing the stalls and picking up something tasty for weekend meals, and culture buffs can tour the Captain Cook Memorial Museum, take part in creative drop-in workshops at Pannett Art Gallery, Link to and go treasure hunting at Whitby Museum.
Extras at a glance
Don’t miss your chance to see a modern fishing boat being built on Saturday with a behind-the-scenes tour of Whitby’s Parkol Marine.
Pop in to see the volunteers at the RNLI station where they will be having their own open day from 10am to 4pm on both Saturday and Sunday.’A Whitby Trilogy’, a trio of plays, will be performed by Dogwood Productions. Each performance looks at a different aspect of our relationship with the sea, from the RNLI crew, those rescued and affected onlookers.
Little ones needing time out? Take them to the library for drawing, Lego and more.
Want a free tour of Whitby Abbey? If you can prove you live in the YO21 or YO22 postcodes there’s free entry on Sunday and a chance to see ‘A Whitby Trilogy’.
Make a meal of it
Finish the day with a meal from Quayside Fish & Chips, where £1 from every restaurant meal will be donated to Whitby RNLI over the festival weekend.
Want to know more?
Check out the 2021 virtual festival on YouTube, then make plans for your 2023 in person visit to Whitby.
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