🍓 Hello all you Devon Fans!

I know we keep telling you, but Devon’s exploding with fun and interesting events and activities.

Whether you live in our glorious county or are lucky enough to be visiting, have a great time this summer enjoying all it has to offer.

Help us make Go-Devon! even better by letting us know where you are in the world.

Thanks!

Cheese tasting heaven returns to Tavistock after four years

We’re talking hundreds of cocktail sticks loaded with cheddar, stilton and emmental just waiting to be savoured. And they’re all free.

The Tavistock Real Cheese Fair, on August 19 and 20, is back after 4 missing years with a guarantee it won’t fob you off with the bland or mass-produced.

Try the best tastes and support independent producers Cornish Gouda, Somerset Cheese, Whitelake Dairy, Whalesborough Farm, Vulscombe and Cornish Yarg, to name just a few.

Oh and there’s bread and chutney, wine and cider to check out too. Tasting bliss.

Tavistock Town Hall PL19 0AE | Free entry.

Dolly Parton meets Elton John at Plymouth’s Big Tribute Fest, 11-13 August

Famous acts are great if you can afford them, and you can’t beat the real thing.

But where to hear the best imitation Coldplay, Elton John, Dolly Parton and Little Mix plus 16 other tribute acts all in one place?

The answer is the Big Tribute Fest’s 4,500 capacity Big Top in Plymouth’s Central Park.

It’s a value for money experience of the top sounds in rock and pop music.

You’ll also hear performances from professionals being Elvis, Queen, Abba, Tina Turner, Oasis, UB40, Ed Sheeran, Robbie Williams, Steps and Beyonce.

Starts 12pm, Fri 11 August for three days | Day tickets from £15 adult, £10 child | Tickets.

Combine yoga self-nurture with ocean surfing therapy in one weekend

Treat yourself to a sublime weekend of smiles, ocean therapy and self-nurture... and lots of amazing surf.

This intimate surf and yoga retreat based in a beautiful cottage is for all abilities. Yoga is the perfect complement to surf lessons which are both included, as well as meals.

Each day you'll have a surf lesson with instructors, and morning and afternoon yoga sessions. All equipment included.

The weekend retreat with Surf South West takes place not far from Croyde Bay, one of the gem’s of north Devon’s coast.

Fri 22 to Sun 24 September | Single person £380 per person. Two sharing £335.

Enjoy a free festival of the arts across the seaside town of Exmouth, 28-31 July

Wander from film to music, through literature, performance and craft. Fuel your imagination and be a part of something unexpected.

This is Exmouth Festival, 28 to 31 July, one of the biggest free festivals in the South West and where the schedule has art trails, ceilidh taster classes, silent disco, stage drama, pottery, fitness, choirs, skate-boarding drop-ins and clog-dancing.

Phew!

Music comes from 38 acts including Backbeach Boys, Hot Tuna, iDestroy and Leonard and the Zombies. There’s a lot to look forward to.

Download the app to navigate all the stuff going on and taking place on several stages and venues throughout the town.

Time for the old rollers to show off in Torbay, 4-6 August

Torbay Steam Fair, which has been going for nearly 40 years, offers three days of attractions for the whole family.

Mainly a celebration of steam, the gathering has expanded to vintage cars, commercial vehicles, motorbikes, military vehicles, tractors, stationary engines, and fairground rides.

There’s also market stalls, children’s entertainment, refreshments, and a bar.

Kennels Showfields, Dartmouth Road, Churston Ferrers, Brixham TQ5 0JT, on Fri 4 to Sun 6 August.

Admission at the gate. Adults £12, Concessions £10, U16s £6, U5s Free. Family £30.

See the last horse drawn barge in Devon on the Tiverton Canal

You could easily spend a day making memories at the Tiverton Canal, whether you love local history, rowing boats, horses, canal walks or just sitting and enjoying the wildlife.

The beautiful Grand Western Canal and nature reserve is the setting for rare canal life heritage, with the crew of family-owned Tiverton Canal Company dressing in bygone clothing and Shire horses at the ready for trips.

Take out a rowing boat or Canadian canoe, relax in The Ducks’ Ditty floating bar, and browse the gift shop in a former stable.

Open every day except Monday and Friday between April and October | Fridays too in August | Trips from £17.50 adult, £13.50 child. See the timetable.

Listings

🌊 North Devon

JULY

Fri 28 to Sun 30

FOOD FESTIVAL | 👨‍🍳 Devon Street Food Festival with Moroccan, Caribbean, Greek, Mexican, Afghan, and Uzbek tastes | Victoria Pleasure Gardens, Ilfracombe EX34 9AR | Free entry.

AUGUST

Wed 2

COUNTRY SHOW | 🐄 North Devon Show with livestock, parades, crafts, live music | 8am to 6pm | Umberleigh Barton, Umberleigh EX37 9DX | Advance tickets, adult £16, child 5-15 £3.

6 Aug

GARDEN OPENING | 🌲 Lewtrenchard Manor, summer colour including sunken garden and restored walled vegetable garden, in aid of St Luke’s Hospice | Okehampton EX20 4PN

Fri 11 to Sun 13 Aug

BEACH SPORTS | 🏉 Weston Beach Rugby and Netball Festival, with mens, womens, and mixed/family 5 asides. | Weston-super-Mare BS23 1AS | Team entries: Rugby £150. Netball £100. Veterans £50.

SEPTEMBER

Fri 1 to Sun 3

LIVE MUSIC | 🤘 Shebfest, north Devon’s largest music festival, with Razorlight and Liberty X | Allacott Farm, Shebbear, Beaworthy EX21 5TF. Day tickets, adult £62, U18 £52.

🐬 South Devon

JULY

Fri 21 to Sat 22

BEACH MUSIC | Tunes on the Sands | Eurovision star Sam Ryder and well being activities | Blackpool Sands TQ6 0RG | Adult day tickets £40, weekend camping £95.

Fri 21 to Thur 27

MUSICAL THEATRE | Shrek the Musical based on the Hollywood film | Theatre Royal Plymouth PL1 2TR | Tickets from £30

Sat 22

MUSIC | 🎶 90s Silent Disco at Powderham Castle with 3 different music channels | 7.30pm | Exeter EX6 8JQ | Tickets from £27.43

Wed 26

COUNTRY SHOW | 🐤 Yealmpton Show, Kitley Lawns, Yealmpton, Plymouth PL8 2NN | Tickets. Adult £13, child 5-16 £4, child U5 free. Free parking. Some disabled parking.

Thur 27 to Sat 29

MUSIC FESTIVAL | 🎸Altitude, original independent music of all genres. Blackborough, near Cullompton EX15 2H | Tickets from £35. Parking charges extra.

Sat 29

CANDLELIT CONCERT | 🎶 A Tribute to Hans Zimmer in the 360° Dome, Duke Street, Devonport, Plymouth PL1 4PS | Tickets £15 to £40.

TRIBUTE ACT | 🎸 Pure Queen | Sheldon Centre (outdoor venue), Doddiscombsleigh, Exeter EX6 7YT| Tickets. Adult £18, child U14 £12, child U3 free.

Sun 30

GARDEN OPENING | 🌳 Flete House, Italianate gardens, shrubbery and water gardens, in aid of St Luke’s Hospice | Ermington, Ivybridge PN21 9NZ | Tickets £6 on the day. Free for U16s

AUGUST

Fri 4

CANDLELIT CONCERT | 🎻 A Tribute to Queen at the National Marine Aquarium, Rope Walk, Coxside, Plymouth PL4 0LF | Tickets £15 to £40.

Fri 4 to Fri 11

LIVE MUSIC | 🎸 Sidmouth Folk Festival with concerts, ceilidhs, folk dances, children’s festival, storytelling, workshops and dance displays | Events range from free to £37. Tickets.

SEPTEMBER

Sat 2

CHARITY EVENT | ☀️ The Great Big Paddle Board Parade | World record paddleboarding attempt and fund-raiser for the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) | Torbay | Standard tickets £15 per paddler.

OPEN GARDEN | 🌳 Bowringsleigh, West Alvington, near Kingsbridge, in aid of St Luke’s Hospice.

Sat 9

SWIM / RUN | 🏊‍♂️ 🏃‍♀️Rocky Horror Swim Run | Choice of distances. Long: 4 swims (2 km) and 3 runs (15 miles), medium: 3 swims (1.5 km) and 2 runs (12 miles), short: 2 swims (1 km) and 1 run (7 miles) l Start 1.30pm | Hope Cove, Galmpton TQ7 3EY | Solo, relay or pair tickets from £25.

Mon 18

GEOLOGY | ⛏ Day Trip with Stuart Line Cruises. 6.5 hour seaborne tour of South Devon’s coastal geology | Exmouth | 10.30am to 5pm. £25 per person.

Sept 24

RIVER RUN | 🐟 Salmon Run 50 mile ultra marathon, relay and 5K run along the River Exe | Ultra £30, Relay (4-8 people) £15, 5K £5. Booking. 

OCTOBER

Sat 2

CYCLE CHALLENGE | 🚴 Tour of the Moor around Dartmoor for all abilities in aid of St Luke’s Hospice | Harrowbeer Airfield, Yelverton PL20 6BU | Register.

Want your event listed? Email us.

Not interesting or unusual enough? Want more ideas?

As a lifelong Devon fan I’ve come up with my list of 50 of the most exciting and interesting activities, attractions and curiosities.

Whether indoors or outdoors, active or relaxed, family or individual, there’s something for everyone.

Discover 50 unique, unusual and “different” things to do in glorious Devon (downloadable PDF) today when you refer a friend

OK, here’s the deal.

We’ll keep finding the exciting, surprising, interesting and cool things to do.

You tell everyone you know who loves Devon!

Fair?

With love, cream and jam (in that order).

🌊 Andy and the Go Devon! team