I had not planned to visit the Tenby Steampunk Festival in 2025. I’d attended the inaugural event in 2024 and didn’t feel it was as well attended as other Steampunk events. However I received an enquiry regarding a job that would see me having to visit Cardiff on the Sunday. Since I would be in the general area I decided to head to Wales a day early and attend the event on the Saturday.
Steampunk Festivals In Wales
It’s probably fair to say that Steampunk hasn’t taken off in Wales as much as parts of England like the Midlands and Yorkshire where there are a number of events and regular social gatherings. The most popular event in Wales is the Portmeirion Steampunk Weekend (also known as Penwythnos Steampunk Weekend) an event I plan to attend for the first time in 2025.
The Tenby Steampunk Festival in 2025 seemed to attract a similar number of attendees as the event in 2024. I recognised a number of faces from the previous year and it seems that most who attend are relatively local. Certainly many of the people I see at other Steampunk events have yet to visit the Tenby festival. It takes place quite early in the year and has no real competition from other events that weekend so should be popular. However there are certain aspects of the way the event is organised that I feel will make it harder for them to attract the wider Steampunk community. For instance you cannot upload photos to their Facebook page so those attending will not see your images unless you give them your details directly. It’s this failure to really harness social media that could prevent these events from gaining traction.
Tenby Steampunk Location & Events
Most of the action took place at The De Valance Pavilion. the same as 2024. Inside there were a number of traders selling Steampunk clothing and accessories. The stage also hosts events like Tea Duelling. On each day the front entrance of The De Valance Pavilion is also the starting point for the Peacock Parade which is essentially a group walk of those in costume down to Tenby harbour and back. On Saturday evening they also have a special screening of the film ‘20000 Leagues Under The Sea’.
A couple of other locations in Tenby are used to host related events including live music Friday evening in a local pub and teapot racing on the Saturday at St Johns Church Hall.
Tenby Steampunk Festival 2025 Portraits
As always my main aim when attending these events is to take street portraits of those in costume. No dount there are some good locations in Tenby for portraits that would provide a good background but almost everything and everyone seems to be based at The De Valance Pavilion. I don’t find inside particularly inspiring for portraits and the alleyway outside is not much better.
The following are just a small selection of the portraits from the Saturday. You can see more in an album for the event on my Facebook page.
It seems the dates for Tenby Steampunk Festival 2026 have been announced as 20th-22nd March. I doubt I will attend next year but for those interested their Facebook page is probably the best place to stay informed.
