- Leith, Edinburgh - 23 to 26 May 2003
Celebrate the Sea!
The International Festival of the Sea is to be held in Edinburgh in 2003. Staged previously in Bristol (1996), and Portsmouth (1998 and 2001), it is now Scotland's turn to host this great maritime celebration.A fleet of around 600 vessels including the fabulous tall ships will be anchored along the quaysides of the Western Harbour for the four-day festival. Visitors will be able to climb aboard and talk to the crews to gain first hand experience of life on board at sea. A star of the Festival will surely be the Barque Endeavour, which is coming all the way from Australia - this is a reconstruction of the original 18th century ship sailed by the legendary explorer, James Cook
The festival will include a wide range of entertainment, musicians, street theatre, giant puppets and story-tellers to suit the whole family.
The harbour at Leith will be packed with boats and ships - large and small. The Royal Navy, for whom the Festival is an 'essential event', will run a wide rage of exciting displays including abseiling from aircraft as well as an exciting chase on raiding craft across the harbour.
The Festival of the Sea will offer something of interest for everyone among the many events ashore which will range from model boat displays to experts on hand to tell you about marine sports such as sailing, deep sea diving and surfing with information on where you too can go off to sea. Craftsmen will demonstrate traditional nautical skills such as knot tying and boat building. Visitors of all ages will be encouraged to 'have a go' as many of the exhibits will be interactive. There will be impressive international and national exhibits, with a special focus on Scotland's own maritime heritage.
The daily 12-hour entertainment programme will include musicians, nautical parades and marching bands including the Band of Her Majesty's Royal Marines. And of course excellent food and drink will be on offer to keep you going during the day - with of course the chance to taste the most delicious seafood of which Scotland is famous.
Each day will culminate in a dramatic finale pageant with music, sound accompaniment and a spectacular light show.
A quarter of a million people visited the third International Festival of the Sea at Portsmouth in 2001. Millions more watched some of the events on television worldwide. So why not plan to visit Edinburgh in May 2003 and join in the celebration of the sea?
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?
