Brixham Chamber are proud to support once again The Brixham Pirate Festival which will be back this weekend giving the bank holiday a truly swashbuckling feeling.
Brixham Pirate Festival, Saturday to Monday, May 4, 5, 6, will see the town transformed with some of the best piratical bands in the world, market stalls, a family area, incredible skirmishes, reenactments and more. Saturday will see The Dolmen, Pirates of St Piran and Hornswaggle perform.
A relentless organic Celtic rock band born from the county of Dorset, the Dolmen’s mission has been to “infiltrate the minds and souls of a growing audience with their tribal rhythms and powerful spiritual renditions”.
Hornswaggle hail from deepest darkest Staffordshire and will be performing at the festival for the sixth time. These troubadours of twisted tales bring you songs of love, lust and loss, wrapped up in their own folk style are stories of hangings, pirates, pagans and the demon drink.
The Pirates of St Piran have been together in various forms for more than 10 years now. They are a non-profit making charity fundraising group working primarily for the RNLI, Cornwall Air Ambulance and Children’s Hospice South West. They have raised more than £65,000 for these and other charities.
Pirates of St Piran and the Dolmen will also be performing on Saturday, along with Reivers’ Gallows, a fivepiece folk-based band from The Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. Playing a mix of English and Irish folk tunes and songs with a dash of sea salt for good measure, the band have been playing various festivals and re-enactments for the last five years. Perfect for some beer-drinking, foot-stomping, sing-along music.
Alongside all the music, there will also be some high-quality pirate reenactments.
The Crew of the Sheppey Pirates have been entertaining and educating the public for more than 20 years. Their informative and fun learning experience is suitable for all ages. Guests can not only meet 17th-century characters, but also understand sayings that are still used today, like where the phrase ‘no room to swing a cat’ comes from? You can understand how life on board ship really was, see ships cooks at work, watch gunsmiths at work, gain an understanding of 17th century navigation.
Also on hand will be Ed Fox, a well-known on the international pirate scene as an historian – with actual letters after his name and everything – singer, storyteller, fiddle-player, and rum-disposal specialist. Author of many books, teller of many tales, and survivor of many honourable retreats, with a massive bank of songs and tunes between his ears he brings the soul to even the piratiest of parties.
You can find out more information about the line-up, where to stay and the noticeboard of the festival on the website: brixhampirates.com