No "Summer Sessions" concerts in 2026 - despite Tudor's five-year pledge

Plus Plymouth Sound on flood alert; a top secret US visitor; and much more - all the news you need for The Hoe, Barbican, Stonehouse, Royal William Yard and the waterside communities of Plymouth.

There will be no ‘Summer Sessions’ event on The Hoe in 2026. A Plymouth Council events officer has blamed “the current climate around rising costs and rolling of the dice in terms of ticket sales,” for the decision.

In June last year the Leader of the city council Tudor Evans said he wanted to ensure the open-air music concerts continued to return the city - and said he had asked the council’s events team to begin to negotiate a five-year deal for the Sessions events.

The 2024 Sessions concerts were well-received, with acts including Tom Jones, Bryan Adams, Madness, Blondie and Sting performing.

In contrast this year’s Sessions were hit by poor weather, and a line-up featuring The Corrs, James, and Snow Patrol.

In a communication seen by The Beagle, a council Events Officer wrote: “Unfortunately, The Plymouth Summer Sessions won’t be coming to Plymouth next year, which is a shame. However, we are working on some pretty big things for the future 2027 and beyond.”

Slipway to close - again!

The slipway at Admiral’s Hard is to close again - for a short period of time - to enable rock armour to be filled into a large void created by the sea.

From Monday (10 November) Cremyll Ferry passengers bound for Mount Edgcumbe will need to take the boat from Royal William Yard. The closure is the second part of a programme of work on the structure and is expected to last between four and six weeks, depending on the tide and weather.

Earlier this year the slipway was closed for several months to enable stabilisation work. A section of sheet piling on the slip’s wall had collapsed, releasing a quantity of stone infill into the water, preventing the ferries from using the slip.

Specialist marine engineers were deployed to carry out repairs and at the same time carried out a more detailed survey to plan for more work.

Between 200 and 250 tonnes of granite will be used to fill the void which has been created by years of wave action.

Plymouth Boat Trips said it will work to ensure there is no disruption to the Cremyll Ferry service during this time. Any updates to ferry services will be provided on its website and via social media channels.

Flood alert

The Environment Agency has issued a flood alert covering Plymouth Sound (including the Hoe and Barbican) and the tidal estuaries.

High tides and forecast weather conditions may lead to flooding over the high tides from today (Tuesday, 5pm) until Friday.

Low-lying roads, footpaths, car parks and harbours may be flooded and people are being asked to take care in these areas. Flood boards will be put out in Sutton Harbour.

New memorial

As revealed in The Beagle last week, a poignant memorial has been revealed for the city as part of the Plymouth’s Remembrance 2025 commemorations.

The sculpture is called ‘Ebb and Flow’, and was created by student artist David Beasley, a former Royal Air Force engineer.

It depicts a parent and child, with the reflective surface of polished steel mirroring the people and surroundings of Plymouth, connecting the theme of reunion and remembrance to the city’s maritime heritage.

Babcock brought the design to life at its Devonport facility, crafting the sculpture using a skilled team of fabricators and engineers, and by applying advanced techniques and tools to complete the two-part sculpture - and then gifted it to the city.

Ebb and Flow was formerly put on show outside the Civic Centre today (Tuesday). In due course it will move to a new permanent home planned to be in the Peace Garden on The Hoe.

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Tough times at Princess Yachts

Up to 40 jobs could be at risk at Princess Yachts after lower than expected wholesale orders, the BBC/LDRS reported today. Princess Yachts said it was entering a consultation process that may lead to a “small number of redundancies”.

The company, which made a £23 million loss in 2023 and a £4.9 million profit last year, blamed economic and market conditions for the drop in orders. It has already cut 240 jobs in its production department over the past year, and still employs more than 2,800 people.

Full story from BBC Devon

Secretive US supply vessel visits Plymouth

A US Naval ship understood to be working on maintaining secretive undersea US military equipment is visiting Devonport.

The MV Gary Chouest arrived last Friday (November 1) and has been seen in Plymouth Sound and at HMNB.

The ship is a civilian craft but there are countless media reports linking it to US Government maintenance contracts of undersea listening equipment and cabling in the deep Atlantic off the Irish Coast.

2025 Remembrance

The Bishop of Plymouth, The Rt Revd James Grier will lead this year’s Remembrance Sunday Service on Plymouth Hoe.

The service, which remembers all those who lost their lives in both World Wars and in all conflicts, will take place this Sunday (9 November).

It will begin with a two-minute silence at the Royal Naval Memorial at 11am.

The Lord-Lieutenant of Devon will then lay a wreath, followed by the Lord Mayor (on behalf of the people of Plymouth), the Naval Base Commander and other representatives of the armed forces.

Representatives from the visiting Danish ship HDMS Esbern Snare and the Brazilian Navy will also lay wreaths, followed by the Military Kids Club Heroes (a support group of service family children from across the city) and pupils from local schools.

The Bishop of Plymouth will conduct the service, which will last for around 20 minutes.