Bays is celebrating its biggest events season to date, after a record-breaking summer that has seen our family-run Devon brewery take out bars, beers and team to events across the county.
Our Paignton-based brewery has supported more than 40 events during 2026, up from 35 last year, from major festivals and regattas to village fairs, food festivals and community celebrations.
Bays Brewery Director Peter Salmon said the success of the season had been a huge team effort: “The events side of Bays has grown massively over the last few years and this summer has taken it to another level. We've been incredibly busy, but it's been great to see so many people enjoying our beers at some brilliant events across Devon.
“For us, though, events are about much more than selling beer. They're about being out in the community, supporting local events and being part of what makes Devon such a great place to live and visit.”
The scale of Bays' events operation was on full display at the English Riviera Airshow, where our brewery operated four separate bars across Paignton Green.
Another highlight was the Port of Dartmouth Royal Regatta, where Bays once again operated bars at Royal Avenue Gardens and on the Embankment as part of our long-standing relationship with one of Devon's biggest annual celebrations.
The brewery has also supported a packed programme of smaller community events and festivals throughout the county.
Our team are known for getting fully involved in the events themselves. Over the years, Bays staff have tackled the Dartmouth Regatta firewalk and its legendary trolley race, joined fundraising challenges and even finished busy weekends with a celebratory sea dip.
“That's probably what makes events special for us,” said Peter. “We're not just turning up, putting a bar there and going home. We want to be part of the event.”
That community involvement also extends beyond Bays' own bars, with the brewery regularly lending equipment and providing practical support and advice to local charities, clubs and organisations staging their own events.
One of the standout successes has been the continued growth of the Offshore & Bays Festival in Torquay. What began as a small charity gathering outside Offshore Bar in 2013 has developed into a major two-day waterfront festival attracting thousands of people to Torquay seafront and raising an estimated £18,500 for Torbay RNLI at its latest event.
Peter added: “When we started Bays nearly 20 years ago, events were nothing like the part of the business they are today. They've grown organically alongside the brewery and we're really proud of what they've become.