All dates are correct at time of being published, please confirm date and event details before making travel arrangements out of season. Events may be cancelled or event dates may be subject to alteration. Further information will be made available in the near future. We endeavour to include events from all areas but are grateful if event organisers can email us at: daveuptonphoto@aol.com with details, inclusion is free of charge.

A Diary of events held in Devon 2012. shows, festivals and fairs etc.

FEBRUARY 2012

Feb 11th & 12th. 11am-4pm HARTLAND ABBEY SNOWDROP WEEKEND
Enjoy a wonderful weekend in the snowdrops, some planted hundreds of years ago. See the early daffodils, camellias, hellebores and spring flowers. Dogs are welcome.
Dogs and children (under 12) free. Adults £3.50. House open at extra charge.
For further information please ring 01237 441234.

MARCH 2012

March 6th-10th Dartmouth Comedy Festival

March 18th 11am-4pm.DAFFODIL DAY AND MOTHERING SUNDAY
Hartland Abbey is holding their Daffodil Day again this year on Mothering Sunday. It will be a lovely chance to come with the family to see the wonderful collection of historic daffodils, many planted 150 years ago.
Dogs and children (under 12) free. Adults £3.50. House open at extra charge For further information please ring 01237 441234

APRIL 2012

April 7th South Pool Duck Race & BBQ

April 22nd- 29th 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. HARTLAND ABBEY BLUEBELL WEEK
For 2012 there will be a ‘Bluebell Week’. The legendary bluebells at Hartland Abbey stretch from the Walled Gardens to the sea.
Dogs and children (under 12) free. Adults £3.50. House open at extra charge For further information please ring 01237 441234

April 27th- 30th. Plymouth Barbican International Jazz and Blues Festival.

MAY 2012

May 4th -12th Modbury Fair Week

May 5th-6th Brixham Pirate & Shanty Festival

May 5th - 6th Clovelly Folk Festival. Throughout the village.
Adults £15; families (2A+2C) £35. A great weekend of musical fun with folk bands, buskers and Morris dancers. 

May Dartmouth Gig Club Regatta

May 4th -6th. Paignton Bike Festival

May 6th Blackawton Village Day and Beer Festival

May 6th Blackawton International Worm Charming

May 11th-13th.Dartmouth Music Festival

May 17th-19th.Devon County Show (Exeter)

May 20th Olympic Torch arrives in Dartmouth

May Dartmouth Gallery Week

May 26th- 28th.Clovelly Celebration of Local Ales and Cider.
Red Lion and New Inn bars. Enjoy a range of tasty local brews.  These unique local ales and ciders are not industrially manufactured, but created with passion by small North Devon breweries.
So come along and raise a glass to support North Devon's brewers and cider makers.Normal admission charges apply.

JUNE 2012

New for 2012 'SUMMER THEATRE SEASON IN THE GARDENS OF HARTLAND ABBEY' (in conjunction with The Plough Arts Centre) Bring rugs, chairs and picnics; we will also have some refreshments and drink available.

June 17th. 7pm (Plough Community Theatre) Twelfth Night or Dickens Tickets: Full £10, Conc £8, Supporters £7, Family of 5 £35, Family of 3 £21.

July 7th. 7pm (Miracle Theatre) 'The Importance of Being Earnest' by Oscar Wilde Tickets: Full £12.50, Conc £10, Supporters £9, Family of 5 £45, Family of 3 £27.

August 1st. 5pm (Illyria) 'The Twits' by Roald Dahl or 01805 624624 (Box Tickets: Full £12.50, Conc £10, Supporters £9, Family of 5 £45, Family of 3 £27.

August 14th. 5pm (Cambridge Touring Theatre) 'King Arthur and The Sword in the Stone'. Ages 3-12 and family plus Drama Workshop for 5 - 10 yr olds, 3.30pm -4.15pm (Max 32 @£3 each) Tickets: Full £12.50, Conc £10, Supporters £9, Family of 5 £45, Family of 3 £27.

Sept1st. 7pm (Heartbreak Theatre) 'Private Lives' by Noel Coward. Tickets: Full £12.50, Conc £10, Supporters £9, Family of 5 £45, Family of 3 £27. www.hartlandabbey.com or www.theploughartscentre.org.uk or 01805 624624 (Box Office].

June 1st-5th. Plymouth Volks Festival Newnham Park Plympton

June 2nd-10th Teignmouth Art Society Spring Exhibition
Victoria Hall, Bridge Road. Shaldon. Open daily 10 - 5pm (from noon on the first day and on Sundays)

June 2nd Clovelly New Inn Street Party in celebration of The Queen's Diamond Jubilee in Clovelly village.  Normal admission charges apply.

June 9th-15th.Dartmouth J80 World Championship

June 30th-July 1st.Dartmouth Art & Craft Weekend

JULY 2012

July Dartmouth Classic Sailing Regatta

July 7th-13th.Dartmouth Squib National Championships

July 9th-13th.Dartmouth. Newcomen celebrations

July Kingswear Regatta

July 22nd 1-30pm Dartmouth Town Criers' competition

July 14th - 15th Clovelly Lundy Gig Row. Clovelly harbour.
 Normal admission charges apply. The row from Clovelly to Lundy and back across 32 miles of open seas is a huge test of endurance - depending upon the weather and tides it can take up to four hours.  Pilots rowed these speedy craft out to ships, battling to be the first alongside to win the pilotage job. So come along and support the brave crews!
Leaving Clovelly 8.00 am, arriving at Lundy about 11.00 am.  Leaving Lundy about 1.00, arriving back at Clovelly about 4.00 pm.

July 15th 10am - 5pm Clovelly Maritime Festival Clovelly harbour.Normal admission charges include all entertainment.. This great day out is packed with attractions, including rousing shanty singers, Punch and Judy,maritime themed entertainment, local stalls and more.  Enjoy fresh seafood or a succulent spit roast on the quay and delicious, fresh strawberry and cream teas at the New Inn.

July 21st-28th Kingsbridge Fair Week.

July 25th. Yealmpton Show.

July 29th Totnes & District Agricultural Show, Berry Pomeroy Totnes.
The Totnes Show is the biggest one-day show in the country. It is a celebration of everything rural with demonstrations or rural crafts by blacksmiths, thatchers and the sale of local food and drink.

July 30th Woolsery Agricultural Show, in aid of various charities at Clovelly Court. Summer in North Devon would not be complete without a visit to this ever popular show. Classes include crafts, cattle and sheep, together with horse and pony competitions.  You'll find bustling trade and exhibition stands with stalls offering locally made crafts and food and fairground rides and a bouncy castle for the children. It's a great summer day out for all the family!

July 31st Dartmouth Town Criers Competition.

AUGUST 2012

Aug 4th- 5th 10am. Clovelly Lifeboat Weekend in aid of the R.N.L.I. Clovelly harbour.  Normal admission charges apply. Held in aid of the RNLI, it is a popular celebration of the Clovelly Lifeboat, Spirit of Clovelly.  The Lifeboat House will be open both days to the public. On Saturday there'll be a sponsored swim from Bucks Mills to Clovelly.  On Sunday enjoy a cross dressing-up race, a tug-of-war and the ever popular slave auction in which young local men are 'sold' to the highest bidder to do their chores for the day.  With many local stalls, a cobble race, an auction of pledges, a lifeboat display and a helicopter flypast. 

Aug 4th. Loddiswell Show 90th Anniversary.

Aug 5th-11th.Salcombe Town Regatta.

Aug 9th Salcombe Regatta Fireworks

Aug 9th East Portlemouth Fete.

Aug 11th South Pool Fete.

Aug 12th-18th Salcombe Yacht Club Regatta.

Aug12th Frogmore Regatta TBC

Aug 12th-19th Totnes Carnival Week.

Aug 13th-14th South Hams Vintage Machinery Rally.

Aug 14th-15th Plymouth National Firework Competition.

Aug 16th-27th. Teignmouth Art Summer Exhibition
Victoria Hall, Bridge Road Shaldon Open daily 10 - 5pm (from noon on Sundays)

Aug 21st Totnes Orange Race.Orange rolling in Totnes. It wouldn't be summer without a strange tradition or two - in this case, the odd spectacle of watching people race and chase oranges down a steep high street in Totnes, South Devon.The tradition reputedly dates back to the day Sir Francis Drake bumped into a delivery boy, causing him to spill his fast-moving fruit down the hill.

Aug 24th - 27th Hope Cove Weekend.

Aug Dartmouth Crab Week

Aug Dartmouth Shakespeare Week Twelfth Night

Aug Street Village Day

Aug Dittisham Regatta

Aug Dartmouth Regatta Tennis Tournament

Aug 30th-Sept 1st. Dartmouth Royal Regatta

Aug Dartmouth Air Show

Dartmouth. Red Arrows over the river

Aug Clovelly Gig Regatta. Clovelly Harbour.
Normal admission charges apply. The West Country boasts a long tradition of racing pilot gigs.  Gig racing is exciting, strenuous and often downright dangerous, with crews reaching speeds of 9 knots in North Devon's powerful tidal waters.  

SEPTEMBER 2012

Sept 1st Kingsbridge Agricultural Show.

Sept 2nd-11th. Totnes Festival

Sept 2nd 10am-5pm. Clovelly Lobster and Crab Feast In support of the National Lobster Hatchery. Clovelly harbour. Normal admission charges apply. We pay tribute to Clovelly's famous lobsters and crabs with a day of live folk music, quay kitchens, beer tasting, local food stalls, prize draw, arts and crafts stalls.  For the children there's face painting, a creative workshop and storytelling, walkabout magic, balloon modelling, street theatre and N. Devon A.O.N.B.'s event-themed craft activities.
The Red Lion Harbour restaurant will be offering delicious seafood, crab and lobster platters, each with a complimentary glass of bubbly. In aid of the National Lobster Hatchery at Padstow, who will bring along a tank of baby lobsters, to be later released into the sea.

Sept 8th-9th. Kingswear Regatta.

Sept 8th-23rd. Devon Open Studios.

Sept 9th-16th. Agatha Christie Week.

Sept Dartmouth South Devon Walking Festival

OCTOBER 2012

Oct 6th-8th. Dartmouth Fishing Festival.

28 Oct 20th-28th South Hams Arts Trail.

Oct 26th. Dartmouth Galleries Week.

Oct 26th-28th. Dartmouth Food Festival.

NOVEMBER 2012

Nov 18th 10am-4pm. Clovelly Herring Festival. Clovelly Harbour. Normal admission charges apply. Clovelly was once a major centre for herring fishing.  This popular festival is held in support of sustainable fishing by traditional methods and to celebrate the herring, the Silver Darlings of the sea.   There'll be herring specialities, beer and cider, traditional shanty singers, street entertainment, local stalls and the N. Devon A.O.N.B. will provide event-themed, free craft activities.  Mike Smylie will return with his 'Kipperland' exhibition and smoke his delicious kippers and bloaters.  There will also be net making, flax processing and a curragh on show provided by 'Flaxland', plus local stalls.  

Nov Dart Drama Festival

Nov Dartmouth Christmas Lights switch on

DECEMBER 2012

Dec 2nd 3-30pm Clovelly Christmas Lights in support of the R.N.L.I. Starting from the Visitor Centre. Admission charges from 3:00 p.m. by donation to R.N.L.I. 
Christmas is a magical time at Clovelly.  A local brass band leads the procession down to the harbour and accompanies Christmas carols sung with the Torridge Male Voice Choir.  A hog roast, punch and mince pies follow and Father Christmas makes a surprise visit.  At about 5 p.m. the switch is thrown and the entire village and harbour are lit up. It's a fantastic sight and there is a grand finale of fireworks to finish off.

Dec Candlelit Dartmouth, and late night shopping

Dec Dartmouth Players Panto

Dec 31st. Dartmouth New Year Street Fancy Dress party

All dates are correct at time of being published, please confirm date and event details before making travel arrangements out of season. Events may be cancelled or event dates may be subject to alteration. Further information will be made available in the near future. We endeavour to include events from all areas but are grateful if event organisers can email us at: daveuptonphoto@aol.com with details, inclusion is free of charge.