Poole’s first free Seven Seas Festival will put you in Seven heaven

For three days and two nights from 19 to 21 May a world of flavour and sound, with seven stages, seven bars and seven global food and music micro-sites, is on offer in Harbourside Park with some of the region’s finest producers showcasing a wealth of international food as part of Poole Maritime Festival.

To get the ball rolling the 35-metre high Poole Harbour BIG Wheel is set to open on Friday 28 April offering rides seven days a week for four weeks alongside The HarBar, a converted shipping container, in Harbourside Park.

“The Seven Seas Festival offers a genuinely unique and creative way for the people of Poole and visitors alike to get to know more about our wonderful town,” says festival director Ben Dyas.

“We can’t wait to see the sensational views from the Poole Harbour BIG Wheel and with a world of food and music to enjoy in the main festival it’s going to be a weekend to remember.”

The festival’s seven microsites are based on the seven seas with the food, drink and culture of the North Pacific, Indian Ocean, South Atlantic, North Atlantic/Caribbean, North Atlantic/Europe, Arctic and Southern Ocean.

At the heart of the festival is the Maritime Event Arena where every aspect of seafaring life in Poole is represented, from the festival’s four partner charities – RNLI, Julia’s House, Diverse Abilities and Greenpeace – to performances by local schools, circus and fire shows and even the odd sea shanty.

And in another first for Poole, Circo Rum Ba Ba invite all comers to shed their shoes and squeeze into its life-size, 18-metre inflatable sperm whale! Inside they’ll find children’s stories to buckle their swashes or a range of curiosities including mermaids’ purses and an arm wrestling octopus.

Meanwhile, over on the Harry Rocks main stage a glittering array of top tribute acts to the likes of Madness, Ed Sheeran, Queen and Bob Marley, as well as top local bands, not to mention a main bar stocked with more than 30 regional ales and ciders.