Is Lymington Seafood Festival worth visiting?

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Lymington Seafood Festival is absolutely worth visiting… without a doubt!

2022 marked the 6th Lymington Seafood Festival, which grows annually. Still classed as a little boutique festival, it’s high up the list as far as Seafood Festivals go in the UK. As Lymington wasn’t a good enough reason to visit this gorgeous coastal town in Hampshire, the Seafood Festival is a great “celebration of the rich cultural heritage, local produce and links to the sea”.

@travelwithnoanchor Love Seafood? You’ll love Lymington Seafood Fesitval. Stunning food, no queues, gorgeous town… perfect for a dose of #waterwellness #lymington #lymingtonseafoodfes #seafood #seafoodfestival #foodfestival #foodies #festival #hampshire ♬ Seafood Lover – Wild Nature

This year more transport links were put on, including the train from Brockenhurst and the Coral Star shuttling back and forth from Yarmouth to Lymington. This can only be a good thing though as traffic and parking in this little town can get a little hectic.

As far as expectations go, we didn’t really have much before we visited. Having previously been to the Weymouth Seafood Festival in Dorset last year, we were hoping for fewer queues, more seating and a better value for money. And thankfully, Lymington ticked all these boxes! Plus, it was cheaper to enter!

What’s on at Lymington Seafood Festival?

Lymington Seafood Festival places more emphasis on its entertainment lineup. Three full days of the perfect summer festival. Some of the best bands, artists and entertainers from the south coast did themselves proud and created an unforgettable atmosphere. An impressive line-up of genres could be heard around the festival and the whole town!

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There were two stages at either end of the festival. The main stage with deckchair seating was the main music arena, with the other end being a small, hale-bale entertainers area. This festival was more about the entertainment and love of good food, than demonstrators and education, which we felt the Weymouth Seafood Fesitval was more about.

Who was at the Festival?

With over 60 stall holders present, there was something for everyone. A few of our favourites were (in no particular order!):

Melted (the words melted and lobster belong together!)
The Garlic Farm (we must be a top fan by now… we visit every time!)
The Rum Shack (bringing the Caribbean to Lymington!)
New Forest Surf (it was the perfect day for a paddleboard before eating all the food!)
The Thai Hut (thai infused seafood… mmmm)
Coral Bay Seafood (local fish man Dan!)
Gourmet Grilled Cheese Co. (just yum)
Harbour Hounds (coastal living for dogs!)
Sunray Burgers (Lobster toasties… say no more!)
Black Cow Vodka (bizarre but brilliant!)
Weymouth Seafood (cockle popcorn anyone!)
Oishi Buns (we are obsessed with bao buns – the tempura prawn was so good!)
Forest Hogs with the Nordic Smokery (salmon over the open fire… say no more!)
The Mighty Soft Shell Crab (we need more of this in our lives!)
The Cockleman (perfect for taking goodies home)
Purbeck Ice Cream (there wasn’t any room left, but we love them anyway!)
RNLI & Hampshire and IOW Air Ambulance (always a pleasure to support)

The fresh grilled lobster from Melted was even better than it looked. Cooked to perfection. Plenty of fresh meat from a 1/2 portion and reasonably good value at £15 with either fries or salad. Overall, we felt the festival was good value for money – it didn’t feel that prices had been inflated for a captive audience, and we were happy to pay the amount for what we did.

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