The Dorset Seafood Festival is a charitable event, organised by the Weymouth Harbour Traders Association Ltd, a non-profit making social enterprise dedicated to the improvement and promotion of Weymouth’s harbour for the benefit of its visitors, businesses and the community.
The festival celebrates Dorset’s inseparable links with the sea and its fishing communities and takes place on Weymouth’s historic Waterfront. The roads around the Old Harbour are closed to traffic for the weekend of the event to allow the erection of a Seafood Village where many different species of fish and shellfish are prepared and cooked in the open for festival visitors.
The festival theme explores the journey our seafood takes from ‘Sea to Plate’ and provides visitors with an enriching experience that is not only entertaining, but imparts a better understanding of the sea, the fishermen and the difficulties they face, the coast and the issues of sustainable fishing and environmental impact.
Festival Aims:
Providing a positive educational value in a fun, enjoyable way, the festival aims to:
Promote seafood in the interests of the Nation’s health
Encourage people, especially young people, to eat more fish
Promote sustainability and responsible fishing
Enrich people’s knowledge of seafood and seafood industry
Develop links throughout Dorset with the fishing industry, processors, suppliers, restaurants and hotels
Promote the excellence of local produce
Attract students into the catering industry
Raise charitable funds for The Royal National Mission to Deep Sea Fishermen
