From lighting a beacon to honour the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, to a Beach Sports and Community Festival, or a mouth-watering seafood festival, Weymouth has over 200 exciting events lined up over 2022.
Many of the town’s iconic events make a return including the Wessex Folk Festival, Armed Forces celebrations and the Chickerell Steam and Vintage Show. Seafest, the Dorset Seafood Festival, Nothe Fort military weekend, the Lions Beach Motocross event, and Guy Fawkes celebrations on the seafront in November, plus the popular Chase the Pudding event and a Christmas Day harbour swim in December round off the packed programme.
Exciting new events such as the dusk ‘til dark September light extravaganza and of course the Elf world record and Steampunk events introduced in 2021 make a welcome return.
Mayor of Weymouth, Cllr Colin Huckle, said: “Every year the programme bursts with exciting events and this year is no exception. Weymouth Town Council will be co-ordinating celebrations and events throughout the town and inviting residents and visitors to sample the many delights on offer.
“These events really do pull in the crowds, with half a million visitors expected including competitors, family, friends, and event enthusiasts. Many are charitable events which generate around £250,000 for local and national charities. This is all made possible with the tireless commitment of volunteers providing many hours of wonderful support to make it all happen.”
A beacon lighting event at the Nothe Fort will commemorate the start of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee four-day weekend in June. Many engaging community days, fetes and fairs, prestigious world and national sailing championships, live music, arts, and sports championships are also catered for.
In July, the town will also host its annual Beach Sports and Community Festival including the Beach Volleyball Classic, Weymouth Bay Swim, and a multi-sport community sports taster programme. One of the world’s biggest Ironman 70.3 triathlons takes place in September attracting over 2,500 entries from Britain and overseas.
Dawn Rondeau, We Are Weymouth’s Chief Operations Officer, said: “The bustling 2022 events programme for Weymouth really emphasises the rich variety of what is on offer throughout the year. Events and festivals are internationally recognised as major drivers to attracting visitors to an area, promoting the destination, and contributing to the local economy. Our key themes for Weymouth this year are ‘We Are Active’ and ‘We are Celebrating;’ these themes will be linked with our marketing campaigns to promote the great opportunities provided from the events programme.”
Phil Say, Director at Weymouth Pavilion, said: “The Weymouth Pavilion is proud to support the town’s vibrant events programme and be the recognised hub for entertainment and culture in Weymouth. The Pavilion team work hard to host a high-quality programme of shows and community events. Throughout the year we are proud to welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors and provide a great venue for many high-profile West End shows and abundant local talent.”
For more information about events taking place in 2022, visit www.weymouthtowncouncil.gov.uk/events/.
