‘Lets get cracking’ for the 50th annual Shaldon Water Festival

Head to the pretty little town of Shaldon in South Devon, for its 50th annual water festival, and a celebration of the South Devon Crab.

 

Shaldon flotilla pirates Shaldon flotilla firemen
Shaldon flotilla yellow sub Shaldon flotilla shuttle

Join me in wishing Happy 50th Birthday to Shaldon Water Festival. Next weekend, 7 August, the pretty little village of Shaldon, across from Teignmouth on the River Teign in South Devon, is hosting its 50th annual festival, and the famous water parade with a flotilla of brightly-coloured speciallly decorated boats will once again brighten up the river.

Tim Bouget of Ode
 Tim Bouget of Ode, Shaldon

This year there’s a crab theme as part of the Let’s Get Cracking campaign to promote South Devon Crab, with crab competitions – from crab catching to crab sand sculptures and paintings as well as a special ‘duck race’ using plastic crabs instead of ducks. There’ll also be a series of crab workshops and cookery demonstrations from renowned local chef Tim Bouget from Shaldon’s award-winning restaurant Ode.

Says Tim, “As a chef, I know only too well the value of using the best local ingredients, and South Devon Crab is of world-beating quality, so it is great to share tips and recipes for people to enjoy”. And there’s live music and barbecues on Shaldon village green in the evening.

Tim Bouget of Ode checks out local crab
Chef Tim Bouget checking out local crab at Seafood House in Teignmouth

The festival begins from 10am at the river beach on 7 August. The floating flotilla of decorated boats starts at 5pm. Also look out for the even more venerable Shaldon Regatta, which runs the last nine days of August and finishes on Bank Holiday Monday. The regatta is one of the oldest in Britain, dating back to 1817.

For more information on the festival, click here.
On South Devon Crab, visit www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk/crab,
For what to do, where to stay in South Devon, go to www.visitsouthdevon.co.uk.
For tourist information in Shaldon and news about other events in the village, including the regatta, visit the Tourist Information Centre at Shaldon Car Park on Ness Drive (with its fabulous views over the estuary); tel: (01626) 873723; or go to www.shaldon-village.co.uk.