Aberaeron Mackerel Festival

Prepare yourself for one of the most uniquely amusing coastal traditions at the Aberaeron Mackerel Festival! Hosted at the Aberaeron Yacht and Watersports Club, this wonderfully eccentric Welsh celebration honors the end of the summer fishing season with a lighthearted, mock funeral for the humble mackerel. Spectators line the streets as a giant papier-mâché mackerel effigy is paraded from the town quayside, accompanied by a lively brass and jazz band and dramatic “mourning widows.” Once the beloved fish arrives at the yacht club, it receives a blessing for a bountiful catch next season before the real party begins. The evening erupts into a lively seaside bash featuring a delicious barbecue, fantastic live music, plenty of drinks, and the spectacular ceremonial burning of the effigy on the beach at sunset.