Seafeast: Weymouth seafood festival set to go ahead after U-turn

Organisers said the Dorset seafood festival attracted 10,000 people in 2023

A seafood festival will go ahead this summer - three weeks after organisers announced it would be scrapped.

Plans for Seafeast in Weymouth, Dorset, had been abandoned after a drop in sponsorship and an increase in costs.

The food and drink weekend will now take place on Weymouth Peninsula, after a group of local businesses stepped in to take the event on.

The date for the two-day festival, which attracts about 10,000 visitors, is set for 7 and 8 September.

The new organisers said they expected to announce fuller details on their plans over the coming months.

Former festival director, Laura Avant, said: "The festival is enormously important to the area, and to all of us who live here.

"I'm delighted to be able to leave the festival in safe hands, and that it can be enjoyed once again this year."

Organisers previously said one factor in the decision to cancel had been the site fee to Dorset Council, which they said had surpassed £15,000.

Dorset Council said: "Nothing has changed from our end. All costs and conditions remain the same as previously."

Each year the festival raises about £6,000 for Fishermen's Mission, and to date almost £90,000 has been raised for the charity since it began in 2008.

The charity supports active or former fishermen and their families.

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