Blues in Tenby's pubs and halls on a November weekend, when the town would otherwise be shut and empty.
November in Tenby is a quiet month. Half the seafront is shuttered, the beaches belong to dog walkers, and then for one weekend the town fills up with people who have come to stand in a pub and listen to a slide guitar.
How it works. Ticketed headline concerts in the larger venues, and a much bigger free programme in the pubs and bars around the walled town, running afternoon and evening. The free side is what makes it: you walk between venues, catch three songs, move on, and the whole medieval street plan turns into a circuit. Everything is within five minutes of everything else.
The music. Blues broadly defined — traditional, electric, blues rock, boogie, some soul and roots at the edges. Bands are a mix of touring acts and the Welsh and West Country circuit.
Why November suits it. Accommodation is cheap by Tenby standards, the pubs have room in them for a change, and the town works better in winter than most seaside places because people actually live there year round.
The honest bit. It rains in November and the free venues get packed — arriving at a small pub half an hour after a good act has started means standing in the doorway. Have a second and third venue in mind. Some seafront places will be closed for the season regardless.
Practical. Stay in the town itself so you can walk. Parking is easier than in summer but the walled town is largely pedestrian. See where to eat in Tenby for what stays open out of season.
A blues weekend across Tenby, with headline concerts in the town's larger venues and free gigs in pubs and bars through the walled town.
Book accommodation early — it is the one weekend in November when Tenby is full.
Before you plan around this
Dates change every year — check with the organiser before you travel
We don't sell tickets and take no commission on any of these — links go straight to whoever runs it.
Accommodation books up around the bigger events — Tenby especially.
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