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Mayflower 400 Plymouth Event Programme - Latest Position

Plymouth is bouncing back in 2021 with fresh plans for a year of events and activities starting from the exact date the Mayflower ship set sail 400 years ago.

A brilliant line-up, including signature Mayflower 400 commemoration and city events, will re-energise Plymouth next year.

Due to the coronavirus pandemic, major events planned for the city this summer have been cancelled, including the British Firework Championships, the Ocean City Blues 'n' Jazz Festival and Mayflower Week.

A new programme that incorporates already confirmed activity is now taking shape.

The Mayflower 400 commemorations will run into next year, with an event for digital viewing on 16 September, 2020, marking the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower ship sailing. More information about this will be announced in due course.

The major public commemoration will now take place in summer 2021 as part of Mayflower International Festival, including:

Mayflower Four Nations Ceremony
Mayflower Military Muster
Rehabilitation Triathlon hosted by the Royal Marines

Meanwhile, the British Firework Championships will return to Plymouth next August.

Cllr Pete Smith, Deputy Leader of Plymouth City Council, said: "We are, of course, incredibly disappointed that so many major events planned for summer 2020 are not possible, but the changes we have made to the programme mean that Plymouth will still be able to maximise the opportunities offered by Mayflower 400 as part of Resurgam, the city's economic recovery plan.

"We're now looking forward to 2021 which is going to be a fantastic year for our city, with loads for everyone to enjoy - including the British Firework Championships, the Mayflower International Festival and a great line-up of cultural happenings."

Mayflower Community Sparks, a programme funding grass-roots community, arts and cultural activity in Plymouth, will continue.

Many of the community events will be held during the Mayflower 400 programme through to summer 2021, with some going ahead early with additional social distancing measures in place.

Adrian Vinken OBE, Chair of the national Mayflower 400 partnership, said: "We’re amazed at the level of public interest in the real story of the Mayflower and the impact it had on the world today.

"Because of that attention, all 13 other UK Mayflower destinations, plus our partners in Holland and the United States, remain equally enthusiastic and committed to delivering their planned programmes and events through well into 2021. There's a lot of great stuff to look forward to, it's really encouraging."

Announcements about third-party events due to be held on Council land this summer will be made by the organisers.

Planning on visiting Plymouth? Discover all the latest visitor information and events on the Visit Plymouth website and go to Shop4Plymouth for the latest re-opening details.

Plymouth Hoe, lit up by Illuminate

Mayflower Steps

Plymouth's historic waterfront

Plymouth and the Mayflower story

The Mayflower and Speedwell were 300 miles clear of Land's End when the smaller ship once more began leaking badly and couldn't risk continuing. They turned about for Plymouth.

By this time the cramped and damp passengers had already spent up to six weeks at sea, with a fair wind and good fortune they would have hoped to be closing on their destination by then. The Speedwell was finally declared unfit for the journey. Some of the Pilgrims dropped out; the remainder crowded onto the Mayflower, which required re-provisioning, despite funds running low.

She left on 16 September with up to 30 crew and 102 passengers on board. Just under half of them were Separatists, but all the passengers came from a variety of backgrounds and places all over England and from Leiden in the Netherlands - with lots of different motivations for travelling.

It is believed the Pilgrims arrived in a Plymouth that was maritime town trading with ports and places all over England and the into the Mediterranean. Some of the bustling port of 1620 still survives today with historic buildings such as Island House, the Elizabethan House and the old customs house still standing.

Island House, situated on Southside Street, dates from between 1572 and 1600 and is reputed to be one of the houses the Pilgrims were entertained in prior their departure for America.

New Street Plymouth

The Elizabethan House is found on New Street (pictured above) and represented a relatively new area of the town’s development in 1620, as the street dates from 1584, the year English ships sailed to Roanoke and created England’s first colony in America.

The Protestant community were also sympathetic to the Pilgrims cause. Plymouth had a long Protestant tradition and the port had been previously used as a base for fighting Protestant England's war against Catholic Europe.

When the Speedwell and Mayflower anchored in Plymouth, many families in the town had seen their men sail off to fishing grounds in New England and Newfoundland. They were probably aware too that the end of August was too late to set sail across the Atlantic and their men were due to return home.

The ship-builders in Plymouth said the Speedwell was unfit to cross the Atlantic, the Mayflower would therefore have to travel alone. There was not enough room for everyone on board one ship but, by then, some Pilgrims had already lost heart or were simply too weak to continue the journey by sea.

But the Pilgrims pressed on, with a unimaginable difficult journey ahead of them - one that would have consequences for history that they could not have contemplated.

Supported by our national sponsors and funding partners

And our Plymouth founder partners

Plymouth Mayflower Highlights

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