Buccaneers from land-locked Birmingham have stepped forward to save Swanage Pirate Festival after it was in danger of folding.
Colin and Dawn Honey had run the much-loved event after it was relaunched following the Covid lockdown in 2022, but they have now stepped down from their roles due to ill health.
Dawn and Colin Honey, pictured here in 2023, have had to step down as organisers of Swanage Pirate Festival
Town centre treasure hunt
And as no one had come forward to pick up the cutlasses by last Christmas, Louise Hodgson and Jeremy Wren stepped into the breach, despite the fact that they’re based 190 miles from the Dorset coast in Birmingham.
Although they don’t plan to make many changes to the two-day festival which takes place on Saturday 24th and Sunday 25th May 2025, they are hoping to be able to involve the town centre, rather than just keep the action between Sandpit Field and the seafront.
So a foray into Swanage on Thursday 27th March 2025 was concentrated on persuading local shops and businesses to take part in a pirate themed treasure hunt over the Swanage Pirate Festival weekend.
Posters and leaflets were also handed out to whip up interest in the festival which will feature battles on the beach and in Sandpit Field, sword training, cannon displays, sea shanty singing, living history encampments and a pirate parade.
Beach battles will be back on the timetable in May 2025
Maximise the revenue for Swanage
Jeremy Wren said:
“We are looking to get the town involved in the festival again, with a treasure hunt organised around as many local businesses as possible.
“We want visitors for the festival weekend to be encouraged to go round the shops rather than just move between the beach and the field, so that we can maximise the revenue brought into Swanage.
“It has always been a free event and we would like to keep it free, so we are looking for any sponsors who can help offset the costs of toilets and barriers – it’s not a cheap event to put on.
“It is all self funded and all the re-enactors give their time for free – we have a great lineup, including Wimborne Militia, Greyhounds, River Rogues, and the Privateers.”
The Wimborne Militia will be at the 2025 Pirate Festival once more
“Looking forward to the challenge”
Jeremy added:
“All the pirates who take part were told that the 2024 festival was the last one as the previous organisers had to step down due to ill health, but we didn’t want it to end.
“We were hoping that someone local would step in and take it over, but as they didn’t we have ended up organising the show from Birmingham!
“I’ve been involved in the pirate community for more than 10 years with the Brixton pirate festival and similar events and we have been at the Swanage festival for the past six events.
“It does feel a little like we have volunteered our services by being the only pirates not to step backwards, but we are really looking forward to the challenge.”
The Birmingham pirates were in Swanage to recruit local businesses to come to their aid
“Some very positive noises”
New organiser Louise Hodgson said:
“We have been asking businesses to display posters and leaflets and whether they will get more involved with the festival – we hope they will. It’s encouraging so far, there have been some very positive noises.
“It’s good fun and it is educational as well. Swanage Pirate Festival is a community, family event with living history and displays.
“We can show people what life was like in the golden age of pirating when Edward Teach – Blackbeard – lived on the docks at Bristol, and we’ve invited the Wimborne militia men as well, who will be firing their cannon in a standoff with the pirates.”
You can’t have a day of pirating without Jack Sparrow!
Jack Sparrow asked to attend
Louise added:
“We can also correct some film myths about pirates, even though we are going to have Jack Sparrow attending the festival… you can’t have a day of pirating without inviting Jack Sparrow!
“This is the first pirate event we have organised, but luckily we will have help from others with experience and we hope that visitors won’t notice too much difference from previous years, other than getting the town more involved.
“We are trying to make the festival more environmentally friendly, so there will be less use of plastics. We’ve even come down in our electric cars, although we are struggling to find somewhere to charge them!”
Why are pirates called pirates? They just arrrrrrr
Pirate jokes
- How do you get a one armed pirate out of a tree? Wave…
- Why is pirating so addictive? Once ye lose yer first hand, ye get hooked!
- What do ye call a pirate with two eyes and two legs? A rookie!
- What’s a pirate’s favourite fish dish? Pieces of skate!
- Why does it take pirates so long to learn the alphabet? They spend years at C…
- What do you call a pirate who steals from the rich and gives to the poor? Robin Hook…
- Why don’t pirates play cards? Because the captain stands on the deck…
- What did the geriatric pirate say on his 80th birthday? “Aye, matey…”
Swanage Pirate Festival merchandise – coming soon!
Further information
- More news on the pirate festival and branded merchandise is on its Facebook page
