Ocean City Festival to make waves

This year’s spectacular Ocean City Festival, celebrating Plymouth’s relationship with the sea, is on course to make waves around the world.

Sailing, discovery, maritime expertise and a superb natural marine environment, Plymouth's Ocean City Festival aims to inspire future generations and encourage a deeper understanding and enjoyment of our fantastic marine heritage and environment.

The two-week long festival is now in its fifth year and will showcase the city’s fantastic waterfront location and its vital and historic maritime links, past and present.

Plymouth City Council is delighted to announce that this year’s Ocean City Festival – which runs from the 11th to the 25th of September, is being sponsored by the City College Plymouth. The Festival is delivered by partners across the city, bringing together a host of events, whilst confirming Plymouth’s reputation as Britain’s Ocean City.

Pauline Hands, Director of Marketing, Corporate Relations and Enterprise at City College Plymouth, said: “City College is delighted to be sponsoring this year’s Ocean City Festival. The College is investing heavily in Plymouth’s marine future, with new courses in marine science and the building of our new Regional Centre of Excellence for STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths). Opening in Autumn 2017, this new facility will help train the next generation of STEM workers for our thriving marine and engineering industries.

“Our existing STEM Centre currently offers young people from schools across the City the chance to engage in fun activities and explore the careers open to those who study STEM subjects. It is also the venue for some amazing sessions for the Festival, such as our ocean-themed home educator days.”

This year, for the first time, the festival will include the high-tech Marine Tech Expo 2016 which will bring together “blue technology” experts from across the region will showcase Plymouth’s place at the forefront of marine innovation and research.

The Marine Tech Expo is on the 14th at Plymouth University’s Marine Station and it will bring together - under one roof, for the first time - some of the world’s brightest scientists, engineers and innovators.

The idea is to increase the number and scale of blue tech businesses in the South West and it will include a tour of the state-of-the-art learning, development and research facility.

Plymouth City Council Leader, Councillor Ian Bowyer said: “This is a unique chance to show people the innovative, ground-breaking and world-class technology being developed in Plymouth.

“Holding the Expo during the Ocean City Festival will show just how important the sea is to the people of Plymouth, not just historically but economically.

“We can’t think of a better place in the UK to have a blue tech business. With our pioneering university, marine laboratories and engineering research – and Oceans gate the first marine enterprise zone now formally launched –  we are ideally placed to attract investment from across the UK and around the world.”

It’s hoped the expo will be the first of a series designed to showcase the city’s marine credentials globally in the run up to the Mayflower 400 celebrations in 2020.

Other Ocean City Festival events include the quirky Cardboard Boat Race, the hugely popular Plymouth Seafood Festival, the Plymouth RNLI Open Day and the National Marine Aquarium’s 5th annual STEMFest, celebrating science, technology, engineering and maths.

This year’s festival has a strong STEM focus and it’s hoped the series of interactive workshops, events and activities, organised for primary and secondary schools, families and home educators’, will encourage youngsters to think about marine science and technology as possible future careers.

National Marine Aquarium Schools Officer Stuart Higgs said: “More than 70 per cent of the world’s surface is water so it’s really important we get school children excited about all the opportunities on offer.

“It’s not just about studying molluscs. We need engineers and scientists in the future for everything from wave technology to the transportation of sharks around our aquarium.”

The Cardboard Boat Race is being held on the 11th and always draws huge crowds. Entrants get just two hours to build a boat from cardboard and sticky tape - before inevitably getting that sinking feeling. The winner stays afloat the longest.

Also on offer during the Ocean City Festival will be regular guided tours of the Royal Citadel, the Open Air Cinema at the Royal William Yard and loads of Family Fun at Frankfort Gate on the 17th, where the nautical theme continues with arts, crafts and competitions.

There will be a special Meridian Festival at the Unitarian Church in Notte Street celebrating sea themed music and storytelling from different cultures and faiths, a Writing the Waves poetry competition and interactive events with local schools.

From the 21st until the 24th there’s also the chance to see the world premiere of new production ‘Leviathan’ by James Wilton Dance – a performance based on Moby Dick and strap lined: “Be careful what you fish for”.

The fortnight of fun draws to an end with the fantastic Plymouth Art Weekender from September 23rd to 25th, and the delicious Plymouth Seafood Festival at Sutton Harbour and the Barbican on September 24th and 25th.

The harbour will come alive with an exciting quayside celebration of the city’s fantastic locally caught seafood, as well as markets, cookery demonstrations and street entertainment.

The full programme of events will be launched on the 4th August, with full details on our website: www.oceancityfestival.co.uk

Plymouth City Council is working in partnership with Plymouth University, City College Plymouth, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, National Marine Aquarium, Sir Alister Hardy Foundation for Ocean Science, the Marine Biological Association, IMECHE, Devon Chamber of Commerce, Barbican Theatre, Destination Plymouth, Plymouth Waterfront Partnership and the Plymouth Culture Board