Lymington Seafood Festival 2026: Your Coastal Guide

The award-winning Lymington Seafood Festival is returning to the coast for its 10th anniversary, making for a great summer day trip from Bournemouth. Taking place from Friday 10 July to Sunday 12 July 2026 at Bath Road Park in Lymington, the festival brings together a massive variety of regional flavours and live entertainment. Over the three days, the event runs from 12.30pm to 9pm on Friday, 11am to 9pm on Saturday, and 11am to 6pm on Sunday. Tickets are priced at £12 for adults and £3 for young people aged 6 to 16, while the youngest visitors enter for free. Keep in mind that tickets are non-refundable unless the event is cancelled or rescheduled, and no outside food, drink, or glass is permitted inside the venue.

Food lovers can try around 100 different seafood dishes, ranging from local classics like mussels, lobster, oysters, and clams to international street food, seafood tacos, and Nordic Smoked Salmon flammlach. The festival features the Chefs Stage, hosted by TV foodie Chris Bavin, alongside a Cookery School led by Jennifer Williams of Naked Jam, which offers classes for different skill levels. Local culinary talent on display includes Luke Holder from Lime Wood HH&Co, Gavin Barnes of the High Street Kitchen, Leo Champion of the Montagu Arms, and Dylan James from Cambium at Careys Manor Hotel, who are the culinary sponsors of the event. Eight local chefs will also compete in The Big Careys Cook Off. For drinks, a new Drinks Stage features masterclasses from experts like Melissa Cole on craft beer, Helena Nicklin on wines and English sparkling, and Neil Ridley. Visitors can also sample craft ales, artisan gins, and sparkling wine from Hattingley Valley.

Alongside the food, the festival features a full lineup of live music on the Main Stage. On Friday, you can catch performances from Chris Bernsten, Static Tandem, The Big Town Boppers, and an Ultimate Coldplay tribute. Saturday's lineup includes The Halliwells, Shining Lights Performance Academy, Petrol Money, Carnaby Army, The Decatonics, and The Anthems. Sunday wraps up with the New Forest Big Band, John Burke Duo, Ken Wood & The Mixers, and Vanilla Radio. Additionally, the Seagull Sessions will feature 'The Good Doctor' Tim Ludlow playing in the Seagull Bar on Friday and Saturday evenings.

Getting to Lymington from Bournemouth is straightforward, and organisers recommend leaving the car behind. You can take the train from Brockenhurst to Lymington Town Station, which is a 10 to 15-minute walk from Bath Road Park. Regular bus services like More Bus also connect Bournemouth to the area. For those arriving by water, options include the Quay 2 Quay passenger service from Yarmouth or the Gosport Ferry Day Cruise operating on Saturday and Sunday. If you do choose to drive, there is no dedicated festival car park, so you will need to use local public parking such as the nearby Bath Road Car Park. Well-behaved dogs on leads are welcome at the park, and water bowls are provided throughout the venue.