From roaring air shows to intimate art trails, beach yoga to beer fayres, England’s Coast blazes with action year-round. Here we pick some of lesser-known events alongside the bigger names and new launches to celebrate a coast for all seasons in 2023.
From chilly New Year dips to new art trails and soul weekends, make the Year of the Coast the time to make new friends and celebrate your passion.
Scarborough: New Year’s Day Dip – January
Immerse yourself in the New Year with a bracing dip to tingle all the senses. New Year’s dips take place all around the coast but on the Yorkshire Coast at Scarborough it’s attended by thousands witnessing hundreds of swimmers, often in fancy dress, raising funds for charity. Prizes are awarded for best team, individual and children under 11 in fancy dress. So, what’s stopping you?
Charity Pancake Olympics Littlehampton – February
Teams of Pancake Olympians battle it out for the gold medal and £100 for their chosen charity at the charming resort of Littlehampton in West Sussex. Teams of adults and children take part in a series of Olympic inspired events including pancake curling and traditional pancake flipping!
New exhibition at Turner Contemporary Margate - March
The marvellously quirky seaside resort of Margate offers a new art exhibition at the Turner Contemporary’s Sunley Gallery. Vast paintings and three-dimensional cut-outs by local artists Sophie von Hellermann and Anne Ryan will be displayed inspired by the town’s ‘energy, people, seascapes and light’ evolving and changing throughout the exhibition.
Get lost in Deep Time - April
Cumbria’s wonderfully rugged coastline is the setting for a new public art installation Deep Time. Six permanent artworks by international artists will shine a spotlight on this relatively lesser-known coastal stretch from Millom in the south to Whitehaven in the north. Why not strike out along this coastline and put a spring in your step?
Plymouth Pirates Weekend - May
Enjoy two days of swashbuckling fun inspired by the high seas as Plymouth Pirates Weekend returns on 7 and 8 May 2022, with plenty of activities for the whole family to enjoy!
Northern Soul Weekender 2023 - June
If you’re a fan of soul and Mowtown, book your place at the Northern Soul Weekender in Bridlington, East Yorkshire. Now in its 16th year, it’s one of the biggest soul events in the region with more than 60 DJs spinning rare and classic 45s.
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Family summer fun, fireworks across the bay and festivals galore right up to Christmas itself, nowhere guarantees more fun than a get-together on the coast
Dartmouth Shakespeare Week – July
Visit Dartmouth, Devon, for Shakespeare Week, beautifully located in historic Dartmouth Castle. The Inn Theatre Company hosts a number of open-air Shakespearean performances. Where better to spend a summer evening enlivened by the Bard’s interwoven stories and characters.
Seaham Food Festival - August
Seaham Food Festival returns to the Durham coast on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th August 2023. Each year the event is host to hundreds of independent stalls selling everything from sensational street food and delicious desserts, to produce from top local producers plus cookery demonstrations from a star-studded line-up of celebrity chefs
Whitby Fish & Ships – September
Known for its impressive fishing heritage (and excellent fish and chips) this Yorkshire coast festival celebrates its maritime history with live cookery demos on Endeavour Wharf and seafood aplenty! Whitby Sea Festival provides plenty of entertainment with sea balladeers, shantymen, local bands and concerts.
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Moving into the winter season there are still events happening, this is a great time to explore as it's a little quieter on the coast, and you can get cosy in the pub afterwards!
Dark Sky Gazing in the North York Moors - October
The North York Moors National Park are breath-taking anytime but at night the huge sky panorama is a revelation. Thanks to low pollution levels, this is one of the best places to star-gaze, you can spot up to 2,000 at any one time. Head here for half term and get the kids and the binoculars out!
Christmas Tree Wonderland - November
Bournemouth’s Lower Gardens in November and December are transformed into a dazzling 60-foot trail of glittering trees leading down to the seafront. Let the kids enjoy the outdoor ice rink and meet friends at the Alpine Bar.
The Alnwick Garden Christmas Market - December
One of the starriest Christmas markets by the coast is in lovely Alnwick Garden, which is decked out with handmade artisan gifts and festive nibbles. There’s live carolling and an enchanting lantern parade tour through the gardens before it halts in front of the Grand Cascade. Just magical!
Events are submitted and operated by third parties and England’s Coast are not liable for the accuracy of the information or the delivery of the event. Clicking the link will take you directly to a third party website for the event.
Crisp winter walks along windswept beaches and clifftops can be some of the best times to experience a trip to the coast. Quieter than during the madding crowds of summer, it’s easier to score the best sea view tables at warming pubs and cafes, while the crashing waves and wintry skies thrill the soul. The coast is awash with characterful towns and villages bursting with art galleries and quirky shops, scores of events and plenty of wildlife and migrating birds to reconnect with nature after the excesses of the season.
Bridlington, Flamborough, Hornsea – the East Yorkshire Coast brims with charming resorts each offering bags of unique character. Aside from its seaside towns, this stretch of the coast is also rich with wildlife, coastal walks, small market towns and cycling paths making it perfect for an off-season break.
The Isle of Wight is southern England in a nutshell, with a coastline that ranges from high cliffs to meandering estuaries, vast beaches and woodlands home to that definition of animal magnetism, the red squirrel. Christmas, when a wintry, cool, crisp frost settles on the undulating coastal downs, is a perfect time to visit, take a walk and enjoy some fine food.
