Scarborough Seafest: A Motorhome Weekend on the Yorkshire Coast

Scarborough Seafest is one of those events that feels purpose-built for a motorhome weekend. A free seafood festival held at the Scarborough Spa on the South Bay seafront, combining cooking demonstrations, live music, market stalls, and enough fresh fish to satisfy even the most dedicated seafood enthusiast. We are not affiliated with Seafest - we are a motorhome hire company based nearby in Pontefract. A Scarborough Seafest motorhome trip pairs perfectly with a broader Yorkshire Coast weekend and you have the ingredients for a genuinely memorable short break - all within ninety minutes of our Pontefract depot.

What is Scarborough Seafest?

Seafest is a free annual festival celebrating Scarborough's fishing heritage and the wider Yorkshire coast seafood scene. In 2026, the festival runs from 17 to 19 July, held at the Scarborough Spa complex on the South Bay. For 2026, the festival has moved from its traditional harbour location to the Spa for the first time. The event draws tens of thousands of visitors across the two days and has become one of the most popular food festivals in the north of England.

The festival features live cooking demonstrations from professional chefs - often including names from the regional restaurant scene - using locally caught fish and shellfish. Market stalls sell everything from Whitby crab to smoked kippers, lobster rolls to fish pies. There is live music across multiple stages, children's entertainment, craft stalls, and entertainment throughout. The atmosphere is relaxed, family-friendly, and centred around good food and the sea.

The best bit: entry is free. You can wander the stalls, watch the demonstrations, listen to the music, and soak up the harbour atmosphere without spending a penny on admission. The only costs are whatever food and drink you choose to buy - and with portions generous and prices reasonable by festival standards, it represents excellent value.

Where to Camp for Scarborough Seafest

Planning a Scarborough Seafest motorhome weekend means choosing the right campsite. Scarborough has several options that work well, though booking in advance is sensible as Scarborough Seafest camping pitches fill quickly on the festival weekend.

Scalby Close Park: A Caravan and Motorhome Club site on the northern edge of Scarborough, about two miles from the harbour. Well maintained, good facilities, and a regular bus service into town. This is probably the most convenient option for Seafest without being in the thick of the traffic.

Cayton Village Experience Freedom: South of Scarborough near Cayton Bay, about three miles from the harbour. A larger site with more facilities including a bar and restaurant. Cayton Bay itself is a fine beach and considerably quieter than Scarborough's main bays. The bus into Scarborough runs regularly.

Lebberston Touring Park: A smaller, quieter site about four miles south of Scarborough. Less facilities than the larger sites but peaceful and well positioned for accessing both Scarborough and Filey. A good choice if you prefer a calmer base.

Whichever site you choose, for the ideal Seafest weekend motorhome experience, aim to arrive on Friday afternoon or evening to settle in before the festival starts on Saturday morning. The drive from Pontefract takes about an hour and a quarter via the A64, which is a straightforward and reasonably quick route.

A Scarborough Seafest Motorhome Weekend Itinerary

Friday evening: Arrive at your campsite, set up, and head into Scarborough for a walk along the seafront. The South Bay promenade is lovely in the early evening light, and if you want to eat out, the Golden Grid on Sandside has been serving fish and chips since 1883. Alternatively, pick up fish from one of the harbour-side shops and cook it in the motorhome - you have a kitchen, after all.

Saturday: Seafest day one. Head to the Scarborough Spa mid-morning - check the programme for exact times as this is the first year at the Spa venue. Work your way around the stalls, catch a cooking demonstration or two, and graze through the seafood offerings. The lobster and crab stalls are usually the highlight, and it is worth queuing for the freshly grilled whole mackerel if you spot it. The live music stages provide a backdrop throughout the day. In the afternoon, walk up to Scarborough Castle for views over both bays and the harbour below - the perspective is stunning.

Sunday: If the festival runs across both days, dip back in for anything you missed. Otherwise, use Sunday to explore further along the coast. Robin Hood's Bay is about twenty-five minutes north and is one of the most characterful villages on the entire Yorkshire coast - a steep tumble of cottages and alleyways dropping to a rocky beach that is perfect for rockpooling. Whitby is another fifteen minutes beyond that, offering the abbey, the 199 steps, jet jewellery shops, and more excellent seafood.

Sunday evening or Monday morning: Head back to Pontefract. The A64 is an easy drive and you will be home within ninety minutes, with a motorhome full of leftover festival seafood and the smell of the sea still in your hair.

Combining Seafest with a Longer Coast Trip

If you have a full week rather than a weekend, use Seafest as the starting point for a broader Yorkshire Coast tour. From Scarborough, head north to Whitby and spend a night or two exploring the town and surrounding moors. Continue up to Staithes - a genuinely unspoilt fishing village that has avoided the tourist treatment - and then to Saltburn with its Victorian pier and cliff lift.

Heading south from Scarborough, Filey is a quieter and more traditional seaside town with an excellent beach and the Brigg - a natural rock peninsula that is brilliant for walking and wildlife. Flamborough Head and Bempton Cliffs, further south still, offer some of the best seabird watching in England, with puffins, gannets, guillemots, and razorbills nesting on the chalk cliffs between April and August.

A Scarborough Seafest motorhome holiday extended into a full week on the Yorkshire Coast, is one of the best-value short holidays you can do from Yorkshire. Check the Scarborough Seafest event page for confirmed 2026 dates and the latest programme details. For more, see our packing list.

See our festival motorhome hire guide for more.