- Head to the Good Food & Craft Market
- Get festive at Exmouth Festival
- Look up at the English Riviera Airshow
- Go to the races… Bideford Soapbox Derby
- Meet folks! It’s the Teignmouth Folk Festival
- Jazz it up at Jazz on the Quay
- Get crabby
- Run for your life at Britain’s Ocean City Half Marathon
- Show off at the Devon County Show
- Make a splash
Head to the Good Food & Craft Market
Plymouth’s Good Food & Craft Market attracts some of the region’s finest food and drink producers and purveyors to the Royal William Yard on the first Sunday in the month. If you’re visiting in June, it’s a great excuse to dive into Devon’s delicious local seafood, dairy and farm produce. The backdrop of the Grade I listed former naval buildings lining this historic quay make a delightful setting for the market.
Steeped in history, this waterfornt setting is also home to upmarket shops, bars and eateries so you can make a day of it. The Good Food & Craft Market operates beneath shady awnings from 10am until 3pm and takes place in the open air in June but moves indoors in cooler months. Visit workshops, studios and exhibitions and browse for handcrafted souvenirs of your visit to Devon.
Get festive!
The Exmouth Festival is back in 2022 and offers a fun day out for all at the Imperial Recreation Ground. Free entertainment, live music, circus acts, street theatre and art collide at this multi-arts festival that runs on the first weekend in June. Plans are underway for children’s workshops so get down to Exmouth and see what’s happenin’.
Look up!
Also on the first weekend in June, the English Riviera Airshow takes place on Saturday and Sunday. Everyone gets a great views with the aerial displays overhead. Whether its the Red Arrows performing over Paignton Pier or family activities on Paignton Green, everyone will have a great time – and it’s free!
In 2022, there’ll be Music on the Meadows and a flotilla of boats as well as displays of military and civilian aircraft. Look out for the RAF Typhoon Display Team and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight featuring the inimitable rumbling engine noise from Hurricanes, Spitfires and Dakotas. While kids ride the fairground, adults can enjoy the VIP Skybar.
Go to the races
Ready, steady, go! The third Sunday in June is the annual Bideford Soapbox Derby when a fine array of racing cars will be lined up and ready for the starter gun. There are around 55 teams representing local garages, pubs and businesses. Preparation starts many months before with the teams designing and then building their own racing vehicle, usually based on a go-kart frame (brakes optional!). It’s a great way to have some fun, tuck into tasty street food and drink and raise money for charity. There are prizes for best design as well as fastest past the finishing post.
Meet folks!
Later in the month, Teignmouth Folk Festival brings plenty of entertainment on the third weekend in June. Past events have included a Pipe Band, Shanty Singers, readings by Jim Causely, music nights, theatre productions and a whole lot more. This lively weekend event usually sees a line-up of international talent and folk dancing on the streets! Grab your partners and watch lively displays with 20 groups of stick-rattling Morris dancing, Black Bess Border, Beltane and Appalachian dancing.
The clashing of sticks and the colourful costumes certainly liven up the normally quiet streets of the town. You’ll find events all over this seaside resort at the Carlton Theatre, the Teign Heritage Centre, Teignmouth Community School and local cafes and businesses willing to host smaller events.
Jazz it up!
Throughout the summer, Exeter City Council joins forces with Exeter Canal and Quay Trust to put on a series of free jazz concerts right on the waterfront in the Transit Shed next to the beautiful Custom House. The first concert is on the last Sunday in June and then every Sunday until the end of August. There’s a different band or performer every week. Bring a rug and a picnic and enjoy a Jazz brunch before the performance starts at 12:30pm. It lasts about three hours, leaving time to rent a boat and putter up the River Exe, go kayaking or enjoy a riverside ramble.
Get crabby
Kids of all ages love crabbing and there are plenty of harbour walls dotted around Devon offering the perfect spot. Best spots include Brixham Harbour, Kingsbridge Quay, Appledore Harbour and Ilfracombe Pier. There’s usually a local shop or fishing centre nearby selling lines and bait. Drop the line down to the bottom, wait awhile and gently start to lift it back up. It’s pretty heavy if you have caught a crab. Drop the nippy creatures into a bucket of seawater and return them to the sea once you’re done. Why not have prizes for the first catch, the biggest and the most fearsome-looking crabs!
Run for your life
If you enjoy a challenging run past some of Plymouth’s most iconic landmarks, sign up for Britain’s Ocean City Half Marathon that takes place the 3rd Sunday in June. Alternatively, spend the day exploring the city (think Plymouth Gin Tours, strolls along The Hoe, Elizabethan House and Gardens, National Marine Aquarium and boat trips on The Sound) as well as cheering on the runners.
Show off
The end of June sees the annual Devon County Show which features a host of livestock classes in this agricultural county. Country pursuits such as sheepdog trails, monster trucks, showjumping and a petting farm provide entertainment for all. There are hundreds of stalls showcasing Devon food, drink and crafts so grab a tasty bite to eat, learn how to make beeswax candles and absorb a little country lifestyle at this epic county show.
Make a splash
Now summer’s here, there are plenty of outdoor pools in Devon for having some wild and wet fun. Topsham and Chagford have outdoor public swimming pools and there are beachfront lidos at Plymouth Hoe and Teignmouth. For a natural saltwater pool right on the rocks, head to Westward Ho! and enjoy this free amenity. These open-air pools are only open in summer, so make the most of the fun outdoor experience when you visit in June.
We’ll see you in Devon
See how much fun you can have when you book a holiday cottage in Devon in June!
What about next month? Here’s our guide to the top 10 things to do in Devon in July.
Born in Cheshire, Gillian Birch moved to Cornwall at her earliest opportunity and never looked back. After 20 years, her ongoing discovery of popular attractions, quiet footpaths and local eateries has made her a fount of knowledge as she entertains readers with her informative articles on the hidden gems of Devon & Cornwall from a local point-of-view.