Ventnor Pirate Festival
Ventnor Pirate Festival is back this August, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome landlubbers and buccaneers alike to four days of mayhem on the beautiful Isle of Wight.
Running from Wednesday 12th to Saturday 15th August 2026, the festival is bigger and better than ever – and as always, completely free to attend.
This year, we’re proud to open in collaboration with Ventnor Carnival, with the main carnival on Wednesday 12th August, promising to kick off the festivities with a bang (as well as a whizz, whoosh, crackle and boom!)
What's On
Ahoy there, mateys!
We’re super excited to announce that preparations are underway for the Ventnor Pirate Festival. As we get acts confirmed, we’ll post on here, so look out for more updates as they are confirmed.
Wednesday 12th August
Time | Entertainment | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
12:00 | Children’s Carnival | Ventnor Town | |
13:00-15:00 | Martin & Keith | The Spyglass Inn | |
16:00-18:00 | Django Café Duo | The Spyglass Inn | |
19:00 | Ventnor Main Carnival All Pirates Welcome To Parade! | Ventnor Town | |
20:00-22:00 | JC & Angelina’s Fun Band | The Spyglass Inn | |
21:00 | Fireworks | Ventnor Seafront | |
Thursday 13th August
Time | Entertainment | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
11:00-14:00 | Kids Mini Pirate Fest | Paddling Pool | |
11:00 | Official Opening by Ventnor Town Crier | Paddling Pool | |
11:00-12:00 | Sun Drum Circus Skills | Paddling Pool | |
11:00-14:00 | Glitter Hair Brading, Pirate Tattoos | Paddling Pool | |
11:00-14:00 | Time Jump History – Interactive Pirate History | Paddling Pool | |
11:10 | Froggy’s Famous Fanclub – Interactive Songs for Younger Pirates | Paddling Pool | |
11:30 | Mark Cosby – Buccaneer Brushwork | Paddling Pool | |
12:00 | Visit from Captain Jack Sparrow | Paddling Pool | |
12:30 | Banjo Chicken Man | Paddling Pool & Seafront | |
12:45 | Bubblelina Bubble Show | Paddling Pool | |
13:00 | Magician – Naturally Nick | Paddling Pool | |
13:00 | Angelina & Keith | The Spyglass Inn | |
14:00 | The Collective Voice (Choir) | Beach | |
14:30 | Bubblelina Bubble Show | Beach | |
16:00-18:00 | Brighstone Barnicles | The Spyglass Inn | |
18:00 | Wight Harmony (Choir) | Beach | |
20:00-22:00 | Feck | The Spyglass Inn | |
Friday 14th August
Time | Entertainment | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
From 10:00 | Family Treasure Hunt (£1 adults, 50p child) | The Carnival Hub | |
12:00-12:40 | Shalfleet Shanty | The Spyglass Inn | |
13:00-15:00 | Trombone Stompers | The Spyglass Inn | |
13:30 | Shalfleet Shanty | The Met | |
15:00 | Shalfleet Shanty | Better Days Café | |
16:00-18:00 | East Cowes Shanty | The Spyglass Inn | |
20:00-22:00 | The Sharpetones | The Spyglass Inn | |
Saturday 15th August
Time | Entertainment | Location | |
|---|---|---|---|
10:00 | Art Exhibition | St Catherine’s Church | |
11:00 | Kids Pirate Tales (all ages) | The Boathouse at The Spyglass Inn | |
12:00 | Magician – Naturally Nick | Beach | |
12:00 | Canon Fire Opening & Town Crier | The Spyglass Inn | |
12:00-15:00 | Time Jump History – Interactive Pirate History | The Spyglass Inn | |
12:15 | Soak-the-Scallywag | The Spyglass Inn | |
12:15 | Meet Captain Jack Sparrow | The Spyglass Inn | |
12:30 | 2nd Time Around | The Spyglass Inn | |
12:00-14:00 | Mermaid Rum Tasting | Blake’s Beach Bar | |
13:30 | Kids Treasure Hunt Dig | Beach | |
13:45 | Monty Carlo | The Met | |
14:00 | Tug of War | Beach | |
14:00 | Eye of the Dawn (Dancers) | Beach | |
15:00 | Derek Sandy | The Spyglass Inn | |
15:00 | RazorJake | The Met | |
15:00 | John Wroath | Mill Bay | |
16:30 | The Duvers (Trio) | The Met | |
16:45 | Not a Mermaid in Sight | Besty & Spinky’s | |
18:00 | Tali Monaghan | The Met | |
18:30-19:00 | Not a Mermaid in Sight | The Spyglass Inn | |
21:00-23:00 | Johnny Longwood & The Buntymen | The Spyglass Inn | |
21:00 | Ventnor Illuminated Carnival | Ventnor Town | |
Acts may be subject to change.
Kids Mini Pirate Fest
Our festival for younger pirates is back on Thursday 13th August (11:00 – 14:00) around the Paddling Pool area on Ventnor seafront. It’s our third year, still a FREE event, and it’s bigger than ever! Here’s the line-up:
Time | Entertainment | ||
|---|---|---|---|
11:00 | Opening by Our Favourite Town Crier:
William Nixon | ||
11:00-12:00 | Try out some circus skills with Sun Drum Active Youth | ||
11:10-12:00 | Froggy’s Famous Fanclub – Back by popular demand – the brilliant Jake Rodrigues will be entertaining younger shipmates with interactive songs and puppets | ||
11:00-14:00 | Learn about Pirate History with Time Jump Histories | ||
11:30 | Buccaneer Brushwork with Mark Cosby – help create a community canvas to be auctioned at Saturday’s Art Exhibition at St Catherine’s Church | ||
12:00 | Meet Captain Jack Sparrow – who’ll be handing out some pirate loot! | ||
12:30 | Banjo Chicken Man Walkaround | ||
12:45 | Bubblina with her piratey, magical bubble display! | ||
13:00 | Magician Naturally Nick will be entertaining us with some cool close up magic | ||
Plus they’ll be swingboats, a coconut shy, giant connect 4, glitter hair braiding and pirate tattoos! (note there’s a small charge for sideshow games).
And of course the amazing team at Besty and Spinkys Cafe/Bar will be joining in with the Pirate Theme!
There’s a paddling pool to cool off and lots of shady areas for little ones.
Pirate‑Themed Food Across Ventnor
Ventnor’s cafés are joining the crew with a bounty of pirate‑themed treats during the festival.
Hungry buccaneers can tuck into a Dirty Hot Dog at Lady Scarlett’s, cool off with a towering Pirate Sundae at Blake’s Beach Bar, or sip their mysterious concoctions like the Pirate Potion and Pirate Hot Choc. There’s even Pirate Ice Cream at Crave for scallywags with a sweet tooth in the town.
Keep your eyes peeled, me hearties – these limited‑edition treasures are only available during the Ventnor Pirate Festival, so grab ’em before they sail away.
Raise a Glass to Gilbert's Gold
Every pirate needs a proper drink.
This year, festival-goers can toast the occasion with Gilbert’s Gold, a special festival beer brewed exclusively for the event by Island Brewery. Keep your eyes peeled for it behind the bar.
Before the Festival
The fun starts well before August. Mark these dates in your ship’s log:
Late May Bank Holiday
Community Pirate Day meet-up at The Spyglass Inn. Organisers are welcoming volunteers, performers, and anyone with ideas to come along and help shape the festival.
Wednesday 22nd July
Pirate Quiz Fundraiser at Mill Bay. A great evening for a great cause.
Friday 31st July – 19:00
Gather your crew and join for an epic open-air performance of Treasure Island at Ventnor Botanic Garden! Expect sea shanties, sword fights, buried treasure, and the legendary Long John Silver as Robert Louis Stevenson’s swashbuckling classic is brought to life!
Join the Parade
All Island-based pirates and performers are invited to take part in the Ventnor Main Carnival Parade (Wednesday 12th August at 19:00) and the Illuminated Parade (Saturday 15th August at 21:00).
And there’s an exciting new prize to play for – the Spirit of Carnival award for Best Dressed Pirate! Get your costume ready.
More to Come...
More acts and announcements are on the horizon.
Follow us on Facebook and keep checking back here for the latest updates as they’re confirmed.
Gallery
Explore our photo galleries featuring highlights from previous years’ events.
Contact us
If you’d like to get in touch, please message us via our Facebook page.
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