Sidmouth Sea Fest will be taking place at a different location this year due replacement bridge works taking place at The Ham.

Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub, organisers of Sidmouth Sea Fest are busy planning, consulting and preparing for Sea Fest on May 16th.

Due to the replacement bridge works at The Ham, the festival is relocating as an exception this year through close cooperation with Sidmouth Town Council, East Devon District Council and Devon County Council.

The coastal community celebration will take place at Port Royal, using the area known as The Hub at the Turning Circle, incorporating the esplanade up to the Lifeboat Station. The Sailing Club and the Lifeboat Station will also be integrated into the event as Sea Fest venues as well.

Each year the festival focuses on a different theme to unite the many different community organisations that take part. Sidmouth Sea Fest 2020 Theme is Life Below Water – this is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14, sustaining our oceans and conserving our marine and coastal environments.

Artistic Director Coco Hodgkinson said: "This year our Life Below Water theme has been embraced by everyone, with ideas springing up about how to link their activities with the theme.

"This year more than ever before, people are thinking about the impact of climate change and our responsibility to act even at individual level to reduce plastics in the ocean and think about the sustainability of our fishstocks."

Sidmouth Coastal Community Hub are running Creativity on the Coast outreach workshops with Sid Valley schools and to harness the imaginations of children and young people, their work will feature as an art installation at Sea Fest.

Director Louise Cole said: "As a plastics free festival, we are working in partnership with many of the other festival and events organisers to raise awareness creatively of the need for climate action and how to make it happen locally."

Sea Fest is a free community event which includes arts and crafts, fishing heritage skills, environmental, literary games and activities, food and drink and will host live music and bands including Sidmouth Sea Fest Coastal Community Choir.

Choir rehearsals begin this Saturday 29th February at 10am at Sidmouth College – anyone wishing to join in is welcome to turn up.

This year Sidmouth Sea Fest will take place on Saturday, May 16, from 10am till late, Port Royal, Sidmouth. For more information click the red button below.