Events & Festivals In The Budleigh Salterton & Devon Are

There are festivals, fairs and craft meetings constantly being held throughout Devon - meaning you can choose to plan your stay to coincide with an event that interests you. Although we have by no means covered everything here, this is a basic list of some of the larger events that take place annually in the nearby area.

February
Animated Exeter Festival: mid February, Exeter hosts this festival of animation. Their website details the many events that comprise this week, with workshops, showings, competitions and classes. It conveniently coincides with schools week and there are tons of activities for children and families.

March
Vibraphonic: this music festival covers everything from jazz to punk, hip/hop and blues, and is guaranteed to have something to suit every taste. You can find a detailed diary of events and concerts on their website.
Festival of Food & Drink: based in Exeter's Northernhay Gardens, this three day festival runs from the end of March through to April. There are numerous stalls with the best foods of the South West, plus displays and cooking shows from top chefs.

April
Devon County Antiques Fair: held at the WestPoint centre at the end of April, this show also takes over WestPoint on a few weekends during this month, so it's worth checking the organisers website for specific dates.
Great West Run: this half-marathon takes place at the end of April. Whether you know someone participating, or just fancy watching at the finish line, you can see the website for more information on this run, and the others they organise.

May
Croquet Association Tournament: taking place early in the month, the Budleigh Salterton mens and womens tournament provides some relaxing entertainment and you can find details of all the fixtures on the Associations website.
Budleigh Salterton Gala Week: running through to June with a week of stalls, events, shows and classes that take place in Budleigh Salterton, organised by the Lions Club for fundraising. Contact the town's Tourist Information for details on what goes on where.
Exmouth Festival: with an umbrella parade, concerts, sand-sculptures on the beach and visits from Exmouth's twinned town in Germany, the yearly festival is always buzzing. You can find details here.
Devon County Show: for a few days mid May, the County Show has a wide-ranging agricultural focus, but includes all kinds of displays and shows that are bound to entertain the whole family. You can find detailed listings of the events and shows here.
Budleigh Salterton Jazz Weekend: Starting in 2009 and hopefully becoming an annual thing, this weekend sees performances from the Devon Youth Jazz Orchestra, Sunset Cafe Jazz Band and Maggie Reeday, among others. Find information on the main Festival page here.

June
Appledore Arts Festival: a rich programme of exhibitions, events, residencies, educational projects and workshops involving everyone from internationally known artists to locally based craftspeople, during mid June. You can find detailed information on their website here.
Totnes Book Fair: to be held near the end of July, you can find a list of exhibitors here.
Exeter's Summer Festival: with a huge range of events surrounding the main festival and often running for over a month, you can find dates and details here.

July
National Senior Croquet Championships: based in Budleigh Salterton Croquet club and running from the 10th to the 15th of July, you can find full details and events timetables of all Championships here.
Branscombe Air Show: an entertaining air show in Branscombe.
Budleigh Festival: often runs through to August and features all kinds of music events such as orchestra and choir recitals, cabaret, folk music, and many workshops and tutorials on all kinds of methods and instruments. You can find details here.

August
Honiton Agricultural Show: traditionally held on the first Thursday of August each year, this is a showcase for the best of local farming, crafts and skills. There are varied stands, displays and shows, with The West Of England Hound show hosted too. Find details on their website.
Sidmouth Folk Week: for some fantastic music of all kinds, from cultured recitals to hearty knees-up ceilidhs, this folk festival runs early August. Confirmation of concerts, and dates here.
Budstock Festival: Budleigh Salterton's own music festival which has been growing as the years go by, runs early August and is completely free. Details here.
Beer Regatta Week: mid August Beer hosts swimming races, barrel rolling, raft-building competitions, yaught races and lots of other fun things to take part in, or just watch.
South West Motorcycle Show: often near the end of August at Exeter Westpoint arena, there are some fantastic stunt displays, bikes to view and Xtreme trials too. Details here.

September
Colyford Goose Fayre: revived in the 1980's and held every year since, on the Saturday nearest to Michaelmas. This fayre involves a fake goose auction, period costumes, shows and a parade. Details here.
Colyton Carnival Week: you can find more information on this week of fairs, parties and shows at the Colyton Website.
Chardstock Street Fayre: a street fayre held on the first Saturday in September, with live music, stalls and attractions pulling in more than 2000 visitors each year. Details here.
Budleigh Salterton Literature Festival: With talks, workshops, readings and signings, including local authors. Dates and full event listings can be found on the website here.

October
Beer Rhythm & Blues Festival: featuring performances throughout the area during this month, Beer festival has a fantastic atmosphere, and you can find more information here.
Off The Wall: Exeter's own festival of comedy, taking place from the 8th of this month and featuring shows, plays and much more. You can find information on their website here.

November
Ottery St Mary Tar Barrelling: an amazing annual event during which locals run through the night-time streets carrying burning tarred barrels over their shoulders. A great night out and a pretty fantastic thing to watch, you can find photos, videos and information on this site.
Bridgwater Carnivals: held around the 5th, these carnival are often graced by some floats and dancers from the London carnivals too, and turn out quite a spectacular spread of lights and music. You can find details here.
Kingsbridge Christmas Extravaganza: featuring illuminated floats, a circus, fireworks, stilt walkers, a falconry display and more, this event takes place around the 18th. You can normally find up to date plans for the next Extravaganza on this site.
Christmas Shopping Fayre: held at Westpoint arena, there are hundreds of stalls offering seasonal gifts and ideas. The show traditionally runs through the middle of this month, and you can find more information here.