It's Plymouth Pirate Weekend for all the family

Plymouth’s historic Barbican and Sutton Harbour will come alive this weekend (25 and 26 May) as the annual Plymouth Pirate Weekend comes to town with a range of activities, prize giveaways and entertainment for visitors to enjoy.

Tall ship The Bessie Ellen, built in Plymouth in 1904, will be berthed by Cap ‘n’ Jaspers in Sutton Harbour throughout the weekend open from 10am to 4pm each day. Entry is free as families will be invited on board to get a taste of life as a pirate from a pirate guide.

To coincide with the visit of The Bessie Ellen, Destination Plymouth has partnered with Plymouth City Council, the City Centre Company and Plymouth Waterfront Partnership BIDS to put on a packed entertainment programme over the weekend along Quay Road and West Pier with plenty of swashbuckling activities for all.

A fun-filled day out for all the family, Pirate Weekend will feature Pirate Tales with Tyburn Jig, cannon-ball juggling, peg-legged stilt walkers, a fire act, sword fighting demonstrations, Yo Ho Ho pirate puppet show and performances from the Renaissance Historical Dance Society and Emerge Youth Circus. There will also be face painting and interactive craft workshops including Georgian musket ball making (new for 2013), quayside candle (chandler) making and traditional cloth dying. The Heart Angels from Heart FM will also have a stand at the event with giant games for children and music to entertain the crowds.

Visitors are invited to don their best pirate attire with prizes for the best fancy dress costume for under 16s to be awarded at 3pm each day aboard The Bessie Ellen. The best-dressed pirates can win a year's family pass to the National Marine Aquarium, tickets to a show at the Theatre Royal Plymouth plus other top prizes.

For those who prefer to leave it to the pros, the Plymouth Medieval Society will be attending in full costume and look out for ‘Jonty Depp’ on Saturday as Captain Jack Sparrow lookalikes will becausing mischief amongst the crowds on the Barbican and Sutton Harbour, while ‘Jacko Sparro’ will host an interactive show for the children on Sunday.

There will be a treasure trail in the Barbican and Sutton Harbour area for budding pirates with copies of the treasure map available to download from the Visit Plymouth website or to be picked up from the Tourist Information Centre on the Barbican.

Sarah O’Leary, Plymouth Waterfront Partnership Manager said, “We’re very excited to be organising the Pirate Weekend for a third year, one of the most successful annual events in the historic harbour attracting thousands of families and pirates of all ages. With poor weather for the first quarter of this year taking its toll on Waterfront businesses, events such as these are crucial in drawing in visitors to support Plymouth’s visitor economy.”

Activities on the Barbican and Sutton Harbour will run from 10am – 4pm on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 May. For a full programme of activities taking place over Pirate Weekend, check the Visit Plymouth website, follow #PiratesofPlymouth on Twitter or visit Plymouth’s Tourist Information Centre.

For more information on Destination Plymouth and the city’s events calendar please visit www.visitplymouth.co.uk/whats-on