Brett Morton and Pete Salmon from Bays Brewery
A popular Torquay festival which raises money for the Bay's lifeboats promises to be bigger and better in 2025.
The Offshore and Bays Festival is being given extra support this year by Torbay Council's events team and the English Riviera BID Company.
After the resounding success of last year’s event, which raised £1,100 for the Royal National Lifeboat Institute, organisers have announced a major upgrade to this year’s festival. To accommodate growing interest and increased footfall, the main stage and event site will relocate to the Banjo area of Princess Gardens, just around the corner from the Offshore restaurant and bar on the harbourside and less than a minute’s walk away.
Organisers say the new location offers a more expansive setting, allowing for a larger stage, an extended bar area, and more food and drink stalls, creating a vibrant hub for festival-goers to enjoy.
The festival takes place on Sunday, May 11, with live music from 11am to 8pm. Coffee will be served from 10am, and the main bars and food stalls will open at 11am.
A full day of live music is planned, with performances from an exciting line-up of bands, including: Mafia4, Oo-de-lallys, Conscious Club, Hot House Combo, Harbour, Sea Eagles, and the crowd-favourite Out Of Tunas Sea Shanty Choir. Performances will take place between 11am and 8pm, with exact times of each band still to be announced.
Food lovers can look forward to a selection of local offerings. The Offshore team will be serving up barbecues and paella, featuring local meats and seafood. Also confirmed are a vegan kitchen and a hog roast, ensuring something for everyone, while Voyager Coffee will take care of the hot drinks and cakes.
On the drinks front, Bays Brewery will run the main bar, pouring a wide range of locally crafted beverages. Alongside their own award-winning beers, expect to find Hunt’s Cider, Devon Rum, Torquay Coastal Gin and soft drinks.
Offshore will also be running a rosecco and spritz bar, proudly sponsored by their friendly local suppliers Tolchards, also featuring a limited range of world beers, fruit cider, spirits, and locally crafted soft drinks from Luscombe.
Peter Salmon, director of Bays Brewery, said: “I still remember standing outside at the very first event, handing out samples of real ale. It’s amazing to look back and see how both Bays and Offshore have grown over the years — and the Offshore & Bays Festival has grown along with us. We even launched Devon Rock Craft Lager at the festival eight years ago, with the first pint poured at Offshore. The chance to keep building on that and celebrate all the amazing local drinks and food here in the English Riviera is really exciting.”
Staying true to its roots as an inclusive community event, tickets will not be required. However, festival attendees will be asked to make a small charity donation upon entry. In return, they will receive a festival wristband, required for access to bars and stalls. 100 per cent of all donations will go to the RNLI.
Lifeboat fundraiser Debbie Phillips said: “We’ve really enjoyed being a part of the Offshore & Bays Festival, and over the last three years alone we’ve raised well in excess of £3,000 from our raffles and collections. It’s really exciting to see the event move to the bigger space and we’re all looking forward to it.
“Richard Fowler, RNLI Torbay Lifeboat's second coxswain, is even planning to bring the all-weather lifeboat over during the afternoon and help give out the raffle prizes.”
Richard said: “Crew members from the station attended the festival last year and we really enjoyed the brilliant atmosphere and music in the sunshine. It’s great to see this hugely popular event getting even bigger and better, and as always, we’re enormously grateful for the vital fundraising which keeps our boats afloat.”
The RNLI is also seeking volunteers in the Torquay area to assist with this and other fundraising activities. Anyone interested in contributing their time to a life-saving cause is encouraged to get involved.
The festival has now received backing from both the council and BID tourism company.
This support lays the foundation for an expanded Offshore & Bays - Food, Drink & Music Festival, in 2026 – a significant cultural addition to the Torquay events calendar.
Carolyn Custerson, chief executive of the ERBID, said: “We’re extremely proud to get behind this event. Brett (Offshore) and Pete (Bays Brewery) have proved over the years that they care greatly about their community and we think this is an opportunity to give locals of Torquay and visitors alike a quality event that celebrates the amazing food, drinks and musicians we have on offer in the English Riviera.”
Over the past 14 years, the Offshore & Bays Festival has raised more than £12,000 for local charities, and organisers are thrilled to continue building a celebration that showcases the best of Torquay’s food, drink, and musical talent, while supporting the invaluable work of the RNLI.
Event organiser Brett Morton from Offshore said: “We’re really proud of how our little festival has grown over the years and how generous our customers are when it comes to supporting our local charities.
“As Offshore's food and drinks menus have evolved to offer more and more local produce, the festival has become a celebration of our brilliant local suppliers, and a way to give something back to the local community before the summer season really begins.”
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