Gullfest 2025: A celebration of seagulls and community creativity

What a weekend! Gullfest 2025 was full of flapping wings, joyful noise, and creative energy—and we were thrilled to be a part of it. This is Plymouth’s second Gullfest celebration, with hopefully many more years of celebrations!

Hosted by the wonderful 37 Looe Street, from the moment the procession began, we were swept up in a wave of seagull-themed celebration. A whole host of wonderfully wild gull costumes made their way through the streets, with gull music, dancing and even the offering of chips to the gulls. It was so much fun to walk with friends, fellow artists, and yet to be friends, all celebrating our scrappy, noisy, brilliant coastal neighbours.

Lucky Gulls in the exhibition

We were especially excited to share our newest flock: a collection of hand-made ceramic “lucky gulls,” made using recycled clay to appear within Gullfest’s exhibition. Being handmade each lucky gull is unique with rosy cheeks, a curious expression, and sometimes a little ruffled—just like the real thing. They're our little tribute to a bird that’s so often misunderstood—playful companions of the sea. Seeing them perched proudly in the exhibition space alongside so many brilliant gull inspired work was so so lovely.

Why we love Gullfest

What we love most about Gullfest is that it brings the community together in celebration of something unexpected: the everyday wildlife that surrounds us. It’s not about perfection—it’s about participation, about seeing beauty in the things we often overlook and celebrating that. The festival is full of joy, humour, and shared creativity, and we’re honoured to have been a small part of that this year. I love how this festival invites everyone to celebrate their individual talents and share that with the festival whether that is music, art, costume or enthusiasm, everyone helps make the festival such a joyous atmosphere.

What’s next

We’ve come away from the weekend with so much inspiration, and a renewed love for Plymouth’s seagulls. Keep your eyes peeled for more community workshops and playful print projects coming soon, especially as we head into Pride month. Whether it’s ceramics, lino prints or greeting cards —we’re always dreaming up new ways to bring people together through making and celebrating the natural world.

Thank you to everyone who came along, danced with gull wings, and said kind things about our little clay creations. Here’s to more joy, more birds, and more making—together.

And a massive congratulations to the Gullfest team, and to 37 Looe Street and Almanac Cafe for hosting. Until next year.

37 Looe Street https://37looestreet.org/

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