Louis Pommery England backs Dorset Seafood Festival

English sparkling wine brand Louis Pommery England will return as a Silver Sponsor of the Dorset Seafood Festival in 2026 as the event heads back to Weymouth Harbour and resumes its free-to-attend format.

Louis Pommery England has renewed its sponsorship of the Dorset Seafood Festival for 2026, with the English sparkling wine producer returning as a Silver Sponsor as the event moves back to its original home at Weymouth Harbour.

The festival will take place on 4 and 5 July 2026, centred around the Pavilion, the harbourside and part of the esplanade. Organisers have confirmed that the event will once again be free to attend.

At the heart of the festival site will be the Louis Pommery England Garden Bar, set within an English garden-themed space created with plants and shrubs supplied by Goulds Garden Centre in Weymouth. The garden centre has partnered with the festival for several years and is responsible for the planting scheme around the bar area.

Adding further decoration to the space, Freddie’s Flowers will provide floral displays for the bar tables. The company will also have its own stand at the festival.

English sparkling wine focus

Louis Pommery England is produced using grapes grown at Pinglestone Estate near Alresford in Hampshire, where Maison Pommery planted its first English vines in 2017.

The wines are made according to the same standards as the house’s Champagne production, with an emphasis on sustainability, biodiversity and minimal intervention. The estate is certified Sustainable Wines of Great Britain.

Festival visitors will be able to purchase both Louis Pommery England Brut and Rosé at the bar, while Champagne Pommery will also be available.

Julien Lonneux, CEO of Vranken-Pommery UK and International Director of Maison Pommery & Associés, said:

“The Dorset Seafood Festival is exactly the kind of event we love to be part of. It celebrates quality, provenance and community, and those are values that sit right at the heart of Louis Pommery England. Returning to Weymouth Harbour this year, makes it even more special. There is something quite fitting about enjoying a glass of English sparkling wine on the harbourside, surrounded by the very best of Dorset’s food and drink. We are proud to be back, and we cannot wait to welcome visitors to the bar.”

Around 70 exhibitors expected

The festival will host around 70 stands across the harbour area, featuring seafood traders, local producers and artisans, alongside live music programmed by Weymouth-based group The Leggomen.

Chef demonstrations will take place throughout the weekend in support of The Fishermen’s Mission. The festival said it has raised more than £100,000 for the charity to date.

Sue Butterworth, Plant & External Sales Manager at Gould’s Garden Centre, said:

“We have been delighted to be part of the Dorset Seafood Festival for several years now, and creating the garden setting for the Louis Pommery England bar is always a highlight of our summer. There is something really special about seeing plants and flowers bring a space to life at an event like this. The harbour is a beautiful backdrop, and we are looking forward to making the bar area somewhere visitors will want to linger. We have chosen a wonderful mix of shrubs and plants that will create a real English garden feel, it is going to look stunning.”

Further announcements regarding chefs, traders and entertainment are expected in the coming weeks.

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