Plymouth’s waterfront festival returns to Royal William Yard this weekend – on Saturday 12th and Sunday 13th September – bringing two days of free family activities, live entertainment and events on, from, and by the water to the historic waterfront destination.

At Royal William Yard, visitors can get involved in a packed programme across the Yard’s Grade I listed buildings, from heritage discovery and hands-on crafts to a touring art exhibition and family activities on The Green.

This year’s Seafest carries a new headline sponsor in the University of Plymouth. The citywide festival – produced by Plymouth Waterfront Partnership alongside Plymouth Sound National Marine Park and Plymouth City Council.

Visitors to Royal William Yard can expect:

Family zone

On The Green, 10am–3pm across both days:

• Children’s craft zone – making underwater animals and other creative activities
• Seafest hide and seek – a map-led trail tracking down hidden sea creatures, with a reward at the end
• Circus skills – tightrope walking and stilts with Higher Beings
• Family-friendly food and drink stalls and pop-up stands throughout

Saturday only:

• Mini golf – a course from Portable Putts

Sunday only:

• Slow the flow inflatable – Westcountry Rivers Trust’s river-themed obstacle course, part of its Rapid Response Catchments Project on natural flood management

• Pottery pop-up with Tweeny
• DJ Aldo Vanucci

A touring art collection

The Art Explora Mobile Museum arrives at Royal William Yard for the weekend with Shaped by the Sea, a touring exhibition from the Government Art Collection exploring the coast through works by JMW Turner, Lubaina Himid, Zineb Sedira and Anya Gallaccio.

Produced by Art Explora in collaboration with the Government Art Collection and MuMo, the exhibition is free to visit. Find Art Explora to the side of the roundabout by the main entrance to Royal William Yard.

Drop-in tours run from 10am each day with no booking required, alongside activity booklets and badge-making. Two artist-led workshops run daily, 11.30am–12.30pm and 2.30pm–3.30pm, for ages 7 and over with places capped at 20 per session; artist Simon Bayliss joins in person on Saturday. Booking is available online.

Sparks at Seafest

Plymouth Sound National Marine Park's Blue Sparks projects take over the market space in Melville, 10am–3pm both days. Blue Sparks is the Marine Park's new three-year community grants programme, backing local projects that help people connect with, enjoy and look after Plymouth Sound.

Both days:

• Federation of Old Cornwall Societies – celebrating Plymouth and Cornwall's shared maritime heritage and its links to the National Marine Park
• Fotonow CIC – creative photography and media activities spotlighting community voices connected to the water
• Turnchapel History Group – sharing the coastal history of Turnchapel and its links to Plymouth Sound
• Precious Plastic Plymouth and Tavistock CIC – a creative beach clean and recycling challenge turning shoreline plastic into new products using pedal-powered kit
• Barne Barton and St Budeaux Community Forum – reconnecting residents with Kinterbury Creek and nearby blue spaces

Saturday only:

• Big SIS CIC – supporting girls and young women to build confidence and wellbeing through experiences linked to the coast

Sunday only:

• Ocean City Influencers – a group of 10 to 17-year-olds from Plymouth's East End building their understanding of environmentalism, ocean literacy and climate justice
• Turn the moon into a moving picture – inviting families to make their own Moon Zoetropes with artist Sophie Mellor. The simple handmade animation devices draw on the phases of the moon, changing tides and the plants and creatures of Plymouth's intertidal zone: https://royalwilliamyard.com/whats-on/turn-the-moon-into-a-moving-picture

Around the Yard

Both days:

• South West Coast Path guided walks – a free 3-mile walk around Mount Edgcumbe, Folly and Woodlands (Saturday, 10.30am–1.30pm, ferry fare included) and a walk from the Barbican to Royal William Yard (Sunday, 11am–1pm)
• The 200 Exhibition remains open at Melville Corner, with free admission, to enable you to explore two centuries of maritime history at Royal William Yard
• History Trail – a self-guided route with 11 numbered stops around the Yard, each carrying a QR code that unlocks archive images and audio stories
• Geo Trail – a University of Plymouth interactive trail travelling back 380 million years to discover ancient sea creatures

Saturday only:

• Children’s storytelling at Dockside – Saturday 12 September, 10am–10.30am in the Arcade, no booking needed

Sunday only:

• The Big Rock Pool Challenge – Sunday 13 September, 1pm–3.30pm at Firestone Bay with The Rock Pool Project, a timed rock-pooling event gathering data for UK marine biodiversity conservation

On the water

• Paddleboarding: South West SUP runs stand-up paddleboarding sessions from Firestone Bay across the weekend, including a SUP Experience introduction and a Drake’s Island SUP Tour, a Sunday-morning Social Paddle and SUP Yoga.

• Sea swimming: ACE Swimming’s coached Sea Swim Group meets at the tidal pool at Devil’s Point on Saturday 12 September, 10am–10.30am, open to all standards with safety cover provided throughout. Full session details and booking are on each provider’s website.

Getting here

• Free bus travel this weekend on the Plymouth Citybus 34 service; the 21/21A also stops in Stonehouse, a 10-minute walk from the Yard
• Plymouth Boat Trips is offering 50% off Waterlink Ferry tickets linking the Barbican, Royal William Yard and Saltash for the festival weekend
• Stonehouse Creek car park, a short walk away, opens to the public at weekends: 294 spaces, £1 per hour, maximum stay five hours

Visit www.royalwilliamyard.com/seafest for the full programme and booking links.