The award winning SEAFEAST – The Dorset Seafood Festival – takes place over the weekend of September 9 and 10 at the Weymouth Peninsula.  

The festival is unique in its dedication to promoting responsibly sourced seafood, raising awareness of protecting ocean health and raising funds for The Fishermen's Mission.  

SEAFEAST organisers work tirelessly to ensure that its seafood stands use seafood from the UK wherever possible, creating a forum to help educate both stall-holders and attendees on how to source, buy and consume responsibly-sourced seafood. 

The efforts of stall-holders are rewarded through the SEAFEAST Sustainability Awards and feedback is given to exhibitors that could do better.  

With a large and varied menu of responsibly-sourced seafood dishes on offer, visitors can look forward to seafood chowder, paella, fish tacos, poké bowls, crab udon, mackerel tartare, barbecue lobster, local cuttlefish, seafood soup, seafood popcorn, hand-dived scallops and much more! All washed down with Badger Beer and award-winning English sparkling wine from Dorset vineyards. 

Alongside amazing seafood, attendees will also find a host of activities, live chef demonstrations, arts and crafts, live music and beer and wine tastings to entertain! The free kid's cookery school is always a hit with younger guests (places must be booked), and local non-profit community interest group ARTWEY will provide art activities for children of all ages. 

New for 2023, a programme of live music is being curated by popular South West band The Leggomen.   

Laura Avant, event director, commented: "With each year, SEAFEAST just gets better and better! We are so proud of the seafood festival, from the quality stall holders to the important message the festival spreads about ocean health and helping to raise funds for the brilliant Fishermen's Mission charity. Look out for the new festival menu, with dishes from, lobster croquettes, portland oysters, fish goujons, fish cakes, crab mac and cheese, seafood pasties, vegetarian options such as green curry and spring rolls and much more.

"Don't miss the entertaining and informative demos across both stages and help us to achieve another large donation towards the vital work of the Fishermen's Mission."

Key highlights for 2023 include:

School of Fish free kids cookery workshop – for your budding little chefs, be sure to enrol them in the children's cookery workshop where participants will learn how to prepare anything from crab salad to moules marinieres. The 'School of Fish' pop-up cookery workshop is brought to you by Weymouth College and is available FREE to pre-book for children attending the Festival with their parents – booking details can be found below and there maybe some spaces available on the day.

Children's Activity Zone – if your children are looking for something to entertain the kids – head towards the activity zone where ARTWEY will be creating some masterpieces alongside the children. Diamond Faces will also be on hand for some stunning face painting creations.

The Fish Mish Zone – head to the Fish Mish Zone and meet some of the Fishermen's Mission Welfare officers. Join the team at the Bay Stage for a talk about the charity and hear about the incredible work that they do. The Dorset Seafood Festival has raised just under £90k for the Fishermen's Mission and is a cause close to the Festival's heart. 

Sound Waves – the music stage has been curated by local legends The Leggomen, including Finnian McGurk, Finlay Leslie, Carley Varley, and The Bridport Broadsides Shanty Crew on Saturday, and Matt Lock, That Britpop Band, The Jolly Boys Outing and Chief Lazarus on Sunday,

Badger Brewery Beer Garden - festival goers can experience Badger Beers from the all new Badger Brewery Beer Garden. Don't forget your fish and chips!

Heidi McLaughlin, visitor experience manager at brewers Hall & Woodhouse, said: "We're really looking forward to being back at SEAFEST for another year, and to be bringing our new 'Pub Inn a Field' concept to Weymouth.

"Complementing the Ship Inn on the harbour edge, the Badger Brewery Beer Garden will bring the friendly atmosphere of one of our pubs to the heart of the festival. Don't miss our new collection of characterful craft beers, Outland, during the weekend. I particularly recommend a pint of Outland Hazy IPA with a classic British staple – fish and chips."

The English Wine Garden - sit back, relax and drink English sparkling wine from Dorset vineyards, Bride Valley, Furleigh Estate and Langham. With plants and flowers provided by Goulds Garden Centre.

The Fish Auction – the fabulous fish auction is a fun festival favourite! Towards the end of both days the fish auction takes place, hosted by the incredibly entertaining Duncan Lucas. Bid on some delicious local catches as well as some fantastic prizes kindly donated by our sponsors, with all monies raised going to the Fishermen's Mission. Commercial fishing is one of the UK's most dangerous occupations. 

At sea, fishermen and women face death and injury, with an average of 15 fishermen killed or seriously injured every year. The Fishermen's Mission is a lifeline for many and plays a vital role in fighting poverty and despair in our fishing communities.

The Harbour Stage – hosted by curing and smoking expert, award-winning author and presenter Steven Lamb, chef demos include Nigel Bloxham from the award-winning The Crab House Café and Mike Naidoo of Catch at the Old Fish Market.

Duncan Lucas is the king of filleting and will be helping to raise thousands for The Fishermen's Mission with his entertaining 'fish auctions', while Susy Atkins, award-winning drinks columnist for The Sunday Telegraph and Stella magazine, will be hosting a wine tasting session with Dorset English sparkling wines, Bride Valley, Furleigh Estate and Langham. 

John Wright is a Dorset-based naturalist and author who has worked closely with River Cottage for many years. He will be talking about the rich pickings we can get from the sea. 

Commando Chef, Mike Beaton MBE , makes his festival debut talking about his life from school to Royal Marines to GB athlete to educating today's young people through food and onto parliament, finishing with a lockdown MBE.

Radhika Mohandas, chef owner of Dorshi in Bridport, is also joining the festival for the first time., while firm favourite Mark Woodhouse, family director of Hall & Woodhouse, will return to host a Badger Beer and cheese pairing tutorial. 

Angus Cowen, one part of Sea Sisters, will be delighting audiences with the very on trend 'tinned fish' that is currently taking the UK by storm.

The Bay Stage – Gus Caslake, South West regional manager of SEAFISH, comperes with demos again from Mark Woodhouse and Duncan Lucas with his lightning knife skills. 

Dean Lawrence, from the team at the Fishermen's Mission, will talk about the invaluable support they offer fishing families across the UK. 

Ashley Perry, catering skills lead and The Avenue manager at Weymouth College, and his students will be creating their own seafood dish – come and give these upcoming chefs your support! 

Ian Hewitt makes his festival debut – following a 25-year career in hospitality, he now shares his passion and knowledge for food with secondary school children, hoping to ignite that passion in a new generation. 

Dorset-born Charlie Jeffreys – a finalist on Masterchef The Professionals and currently working in London at Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester – is a keen supporter of all things fish and looks forward to showcasing a special dish using Portland crab. 

The festival is one of the most celebrated weekends in Weymouth's event calendar and helps to raise money for The Fishermen's Mission – the only fishermen's charity that provides emergency support alongside practical and emotional care.

Tickets are limited and booking in advance is advisable. Tickets cost £10 per day for adults, or £15 for the weekend, and children under 16 are free.

For more information or to book, visit www.dorsetseafood.co.uk/book