Festival of the Sea will return to Grimsby on Saturday 21st June.
Now in its fifth year, the festival has welcomed thousands of visitors to enjoy live cooking demos and water activities, celebrating the town’s rich maritime history and exploring the future.
By focusing on its central theme, the Festival of the Sea aims to raise awareness and educate the public about one of our planet’s most vital yet often overlooked climate allies – the ocean, which plays a crucial role in absorbing heat and carbon on a global scale. The festival’s educational programming will explore topics such as seafood, as well as the history and future of healthy, responsible eating.
The programme of activities, performances, guided walks, installations, and workshops include:
- Seafood Crafts & Ocean Mural with TARGET NEL: Get hands-on with seafood-themed crafts while learning about different types of seafood and their nutritional benefits. Then, join in to create a big Ocean Mural filled with healthy messages.
- “Save the Sea” with the British Divers Marine Life Rescue: marine-themed crafts and a fun competition to win cuddly sea creatures.
- “The Sushi Stakeout” by Grubby Knees: A fast-paced, 20-minute heartfelt show packed with laughs, local flavour, and squabbling seagulls fighting over chips.
- “Exploring the water connection” with Grimsby Tours: Join Emma Lingard for a guided walk through Grimsby’s deep-rooted connection to the sea and waterfront, past and present.
In 2025 the focus leads on making the festival more accessible and sustainable, to ensure all people of Grimsby and beyond can enjoy the day. This includes new sensory workshops: creating calm, engaging spaces for individuals who benefit from tactile and sensory-based experiences.
The organisers are also working with Vehicles for Change to bring their RevoLOOtion accessible toilets to the festival. Through this collaboration it is aimed to remove barriers that often prevent disabled individuals from attending public events.
The festival is supported by North East Lincolnshire Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Cllr Hayden Dawkins, portfolio holder for culture, heritage and the visitor economy, said: “I am absolutely delighted that this Festival will once again provide a showcase not only for our area, but also for our local creative talent.
“It will be packed with family entertainment, and is a perfect way to show how our past, great heritage can be brought into the modern day using the creativity and talent that now exists.”
Image credit: North East Lincolnshire Council
