Clovelly Herring Festival Returns to Celebrate the Iconic Fish on 16 November
Known as the ‘Silver Darlings’ of the sea, herring have long been an important source of food and employment in Clovelly and Devon overall. Fleets boasting over 100 boats and even more fishermen would cast off to catch herring to meet demand. The number of these herring anglers faded in the 20th Century until, in 2008, the BBC reported that only two herring fishermen remained in Clovelly.
Using traditional fishing techniques, they’d do their best to work around the unpredictable shoals of Silver Darlings to deliver the tasty and nutritious fish to the locals and beyond. Now, herring get to come back into the spotlight with the Clovelly Herring Festival. Taking place from 10 am to 4 pm on Sunday, 16 November this year, the popular event will once again celebrate sustainable herring fishing and the great ways you can cook one up.
Lots to Enjoy at the 2025 Clovelly Herring Festival
The Clovelly Herring Festival is a traditional celebration that takes place in the historic village to celebrate the coming of the fish. When fishing for herring was a staple industry of the local area, it was a key date on the calendar. Now, the event comes to promote the benefits of eating herring as well as sustainable fishing practices to enable the herring that come to British waters to thrive.
Throughout the day, as the Clovelly website details, there’ll be several live music acts at the New Inn and Harbour, as well as a bunch of stalls to explore. Flaxland, the RNLI, The Mermaid’s Purse, Devon Wildlife Trust, Crackington, Clovelly Soap Shop, and author Liz Shakespeare will all be in attendance. On the quay, visitors will also get to try out a whole bunch of herring dishes cooked, prepared, and served in different ways to celebrate the iconic fish.
Embracing the Herring Festival
While the ability to catch tonnes of the fish and consistently sell them to the local masses and beyond likely lent herring the nickname of ‘Silver Darlings’ – along with their shimmering scales, of course – they’re also particularly nutritious and versatile. They’re very oily, are great when cooked fresh or smoked, and are both high in protein and low in mercury.
Despite this, herring isn’t exactly the most famous fish that people set about casting a line to catch. This is even the case across long-running, fishing-themed entertainment. Gone Fishing, for example, has come to Devon three times over seven seasons but only fished for wrasse, grilse, eel, perch, dogfish, and sea bass.
Bass, actually, has become a rather unimpeachable favourite in some circles, being the flagship titular fish in the highly prominent Big Bass series playable at online casino UK sites. Whether it’s the original Big Bass Bonanza or a newer entry like Big Bass Floats My Boat, the focus is always on catching bass. So perhaps bass is simply a more marketable creature than the herring, but that doesn't make it any less tasty or splendid. Silver Darlings offer a distinct challenge for anglers to take up.
Catchable from February to June and September to December, the herring are usually above 300ft and go for tiny baitfish.
Herring are as enjoyable to try to catch as they are to cook up on a cold day. Celebrating the Silver Darlings this year, tickets are still available for the 2025 Clovelly Herring Festival, with all being welcome to explore the festivities.
