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What's On

Festival of the Sea is completely FREE for everyone, with performance and activities taking place across Grimsby Town Centre and Alexandra Dock Waterfront.

2026 Expression of interests application will open after the summer. Keep an eye out on our social media for it. in the meantime, you can check out the 2025 programme below

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A PDF PROGRAMME
Street Theatre
Sensory circus workshop by The Little Seaside Circus
Join the Drop-In Sensory Circus Workshop by Little Seaside Circus, a playful and welcoming experience designed especially for younger children. Through soft props, gentle movement, and colourful activities, little ones...
Workshops
Heritage Explorers | the Oyster Project by Our Big Picture
12:00 – 15:00 Join us as we journey our Cleethorpes oysters to Grimsby! Following our creative exploration at Beach of Dreams – where we honoured our oyster heritage through sand...
Workshops
Sculpture Workshop by Lucy’s Art Club, in association with the turntable gallery
11:00 – 17:00 Join Lucy’s Art club on a journey to the darkest corners of the ocean, to create a fearsome beast from the watery depths! Come along, say hi, and...
Workshops
Origami Boats Workshop by Phoenix from the trashes
11:00 - 17:00 On the festival day itself, Phoenix from the trashes will host 6 hours of interactive origami boat-making, using printed sail fabrics and logos. These boats will offer ...
Workshops
The People’s Poem Pop Up
11:00 - 17:00 REDSAIL duo Alex and Sam will run a pop-up poetry stall, writing patchwork poetry in collaboration with the Grimsby public – inviting the public to give lines ...
Street Theatre
The Sushi Stakeout by Grubby Knees
12:00 - 12:20 | 13:30 - 13:50 | 14:20 - 14:40 In this sharp-witted comedy, Grubby Kness takes us on a whirlwind adventure with a cast of feisty seagulls squabbling ...
Workshops
Seafood themed chalk drawing competition run by TARGET NEL
11:00 – 17:00 Get creative on the pavement in our Seafood-Themed Chalk Drawing Competition, delivered in collaboration with TARGET NEL – a local initiative focused on improving health and wellbeing...
Workshops
Seafood crafts and art activities by TARGET NEL
11:00 - 17:00 In this engaging workshop, participants will explore different types of seafood and discover their nutritional value through an interactive talk. We'll discuss how seafood can be part ...
Tours
Seafood NEL Food Map Guided Tour by Connor Stannard
Have a taste of what North East Lincolnshire has to offer! Our Food Map includes venues across North East Lincolnshire, that proudly create dishes using local produce, you can explore...
Tours
Exploring Grimsby’s connection to the water – Guided history walking tour by Emma Lingard
11:00 - 12:00 | 13:00 - 14:00 In this short walk we focus on Grimsby’s connection with the water. Exploring The Haven, and Alexandra Dock, and how these helped shape ...
Tours
Paddle upstream With The Canoe River Cleaner
10.30 – 12.30 | 13.30 – 15.30 All Things Good And Nice Canoeing for Two With The Canoe River Cleaner  As part of our commitment to inclusion and accessibility, the...
Live Music
Rob Bywater
14:45 – 15:15 A Grimsby born and bred solo guitarist, he plays a range of remarkable covers of all sorts of things and a bit of his own content as...
Live Music
Kit and Leanne
15:30 – 16:00 A loving husband and wife from Grimsby, comprising of Kit on guitar and Leanne on vocals! they cover pop hits from as far as the 60s to...
Live Music
Elson
16:15 – 16:45 The Grimsby native shoegaze outfit crafting dreamlike guitar soundscapes mixed with a raw, indie sensibility. A must-see act, Elson deliver emotionally charged and immersive performances that make...
Live Music
Spencer Booth
14:00 – 14:30 Spencer Booth (of the Lincolnshire band Moon Pocket) steps into the spotlight with a show of intricately played jazz, soul, and funk on the keyboard. If you’re...
Live Music
Silver Bullet
12:10 – 12:40 Silver Bullet are a young rock outfit from Grimsby, who do covers of a variety of genres. Starting up fairly recently, they deliver an electrifying performance like...
Live Music
TABS
13:15 – 13:45 TABS are a high energy rock band from Cleethorpes, formed a few years ago. Known for their explosive live shows, they perform crowd-pleasing renditions of classic and...
Live Music
East Marsh United Peace Choir
East Marsh United accompanied by pianist Dean Stockdale will be joined by members of The Rock Foundation and friends for a pop up choir experience, starting with warm ups and ...
Uncategorized
2025 Gallery
Walkabout
The Fairly Fresh Fish by Fair Play Comedy
11:45 – 12:15 | 13:00 – 13:30 | 14:45 – 15:15 Blending street theatre with seaside tradition, The Fairly Fresh Fish Co. weave through the crowd offering what appears to...
Walkabout
Iso by Tim Davies Design
12:00 – 12:30 | 13:30 – 14:00 | 15:30 – 16:00 Beautiful undersea beast based on the ancient deep sea isopods. Iso is a striking animated large scale puppet for...
Uncategorized
The Bubble Man
14:00 – 17:00 Join the fun with TARGET NEL’s Bubbleman, bringing a touch of magic to Riverhead Square! Watch the skies fill with giant, glistening bubbles as he delights crowds...
Walkabout
The Lionfish by Artemis Productions
14:00 – 14:30 | 15:00 – 15:45 | 16:00 – 16:45 Lionel and Leona are a pair of Lionfish and can often be seen swimming in urban environments looking for...
Exhibition
Exhibition & RNLI Talk by Grimbarians X RNLI
Join us in our studio for an exhibition showcasing the Grimbarians X RNLI project, presented alongside the work of local photographer Chris McClean, known for his fantastic photography of surfing...
Walkabout
Pirate Brass Band by Bandanarama
12:30 – 13:00 | 14:00 – 14:30 – 15:00 -15:30 Born and bred in the vibrant city of Hull, Bananarama has woven itself into the very fabric of the local...
Water activities
Stand Up Paddle Boarding & Canoeing with La Cuna
This exciting on-the-water experience offers young people the chance to try Stand-Up Paddleboarding (SUP) completely free of charge.
Face Painting
Facepainting and Glitter Tattoos by Jellinelli X Facepainting by TARGET NEL
TARGET NEL will be offering face painting throughout the entire festival day! People of all ages are welcome—come along and enjoy a creative design from their talented team!
Walkabout
Interactive Clam by Bellablaze Productions
Discover the interactive wonders at Festival of the Sea! The walkabout clamshells are coming, offering unique chances to engage and capture incredible photos . It's the perfect way to make ...
Walkabout
OCTO POSSE by The Shenanigans
Following the last year’s success of the Two Tough Trawlermen, this year The Shananigans will entertain us with another act – Octo Posse! Octopus Duo will be with you through ...
Cooking demos
Cookery Tent with Alfred Enderby and Andrea Wallace
Alfred Enderby The award-winning business on Maclure Street in the Kasbah has been a cornerstone of the smoked fish industry for over 100 years. Now run by Toni and Patrick...
Food & Drinks
Street Food, Bar, & Artisans
Check out our selection of local food, drinks, makers and charities with sea themed gifts, food and initivatives dotted around the Festival!
Education
Orsted
Visit their stand to learn about their work in accessibility, sustainability, and green energy. Ørsted is developing the future workforce through apprenticeships, STEM education, and partnerships with local colleges and ...

Fringe Programme

These events and activities are happening before or after the festival on Saturday 21 June – the date is displayed on each activity.

Some of these workshops have limited capacity so please book your place now to avoid disappointment!
Fringe Programme 2025
Trawler Trail by Phoenix from the trashes
Posted on
Join us for an exciting community project in the lead-up to this year’s festival, a creative walking trail celebrating Grimsby’s rich fishing heritage through art, storytelling, and hands-on craft. We’ll...