Organisers of some of Cornwall’s biggest and best loved events have releaed details of their plans for 2021
Looe Live
The whole of the South East Cornwall town of Looe gets in on the act with this family friendly, three-day festival that usually takes place in September. Expect international headline acts on the mainstage, the best upcoming talent with BBC Introducing, dance on the beach stage and get stuck into a variety of workshops in the community zone. Plus there’s over 100 pop-up performances in venues all over the town.
The event takes place 17-19th September 2021 and tickets from this year’s event will be valid in 2021.
looelive.co.uk
Royal Cornwall Show
The Royal Cornwall Show has been at the heart of the county for nearly 230 years, and every year our team do all they can to ensure that everyone involved has the best show possible, and this year was no exception.
The decision was taken back in March to cancel the 2020 event. “The whole team are highly disappointed that we have to postpone the Royal Cornwall Show in June. We feel that we have a responsibility to the wider community to ensure we do all we can to protect public health,” explained Chris Riddle, the Secretary of the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association. “The whole team are highly disappointed that we have to postpone the Royal Cornwall Show in June. We feel that we have a responsibility to the wider community to ensure we do all we can to protect public health.”
The show returns on 10 – 12 June in 2021.
Keep up to date at http://royalcornwallshow.org/
Falmouth Oyster Festival
This autumn food festival marks the start of the oyster season which opens in October and continues until March. The Falmouth Oyster Festival began in 1996 and celebrates the oysters from the Fal River and other local food and drink.
Mike Rangecroft, the festival’s honorary chairman, says he understands that cancellation of this year’s event will be disappointing for residents, visitors and traders. “But we feel this is the right decision for the safety of all those involved as well as wider public health,” he says.
One supporter, St Michaels Resorts, plans to mark the start of the oyster season with sea shanty dinner and oyster tastings, with social distancing and other measures in place. Falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk
Tour of Britain
Cornwall was due to be at the heart of the action for the Tour of Britain in September which was to make its first ever visit to Cornwall. Instead the event has been cancelled and will now be held 5-12 September 2021.
The biggest and most prestigious cycle race in the UK attracts more than 1.5 million spectators to the roadside and inspires many thousands of people of all ages to get on their bikes and to cycle more.
Holding the Tour of Britain behind closed doors or with extensive social distancing rules would not only be immensely impractical, say the organisers, but would rob venues and spectators of these opportunities and go against everything that cycling, as a free-to-spectate and accessible event, stands for.
tourofbritain.co.uk
Fowey Royal Regatta
For a week in August, Fowey plays host to this regatta, one of Britain’s premier sailing events. Sadly the Regatta Committee has taken the decision to postpone this year’s event until 15-21 August 2021.
Thee Regatta Week is unparalleled in the Fowey calendar and brings many visitors to the town. But the committee decided that the wellbeing of the community, businesses, visitors and everyone involved with the Regatta cannot be placed at risk.
Foweyroyalregatta.co.uk
Boardmasters
Boardmasters is the most high-profile surfing event in the UK with elite athletes from around the globe taking part in five days of exhilarating surf action on Fistral Beach. Weather forced the cancellation in 2019 and coronavirus has forced organisers to postpone this year’s event until 11-15 August 2021.
A spokesman for Vision Nine said: “We’re are absolutely gutted to announce, that due to the on-going pandemic, Boardmasters can no longer take place this summer. This is particularly heart-breaking given the events of 2019, but the safety of everyone involved in the festival as well as the local community in Cornwall comes first.”
If you’re a ticket holder, you’ll be able to transfer your booking over to Boardmasters 2021 or request a full refund. For those who missed out last summer and bought tickets for 2020, the organisers have come up with a special surprise and those affected will be contacted.
The five-day Boardmasters event blends a full-on music festival with part of the World Surf League qualifying series which is the most high-profile surfing event in the UK.
More than 40 world-class acts had been due to play on one of the festival’s 12 stages including headliners Kings of Leon, Skepta, The 1975, Blossoms, Hot Chip, Maribou State, Kojey Radical and Easy Life.
When it returns next year, it will be back with a bang. As well and surf and song, there will be some of the fixtures and fittings visitors love - the dedicated wellbeing area, Zennor Haven, with yoga, mental health workshops, healthy food offerings, meditation and much more.
Boardmasters.com
Charlestown Regatta Week
The traditional regatta week in August has been cancelled this year with organisers working to secure new dates for 2021 which will be the event’s 50th anniversary.
Charlestown’s Regatta Week brings together the local community and visitors alike presenting a variety of live music, pasty demonstrations, craft stalls, raft races, water sports and favourites such as the fun triathlon, children’s sports, grand carnival and flora dance procession and the week’s musical finale, Regatta Rocks.
Organised by a committee of volunteers, it also raises money in support of local community projects and charities. Earlier this year Charlestown Regatta donated £5,000 to local charities and worthy causes within a 15-mile radius of the village, including: The Merlin Centre, the Cornwall Air Ambulance Trust, St Austell Hospital, Fowey Lifeboat and others.
Charlestownregatta.org
Rock Oyster Festival
This family-friendly, independent festival is a brilliant fusion of food and music with Cornwall’s Michelin star chef Paul Ainsworth at its heart. The decision has been taken to reschedule it to next summer. And as a tribute to the NHS staff and key workers who have kept everyone safe, the organisers are giving a free ticket for them to anyone who has already bought a ticket.
“A huge thank you to all our restaurants, chefs and suppliers and everyone who has got behind the Rock Oyster,” says Paul. “Stay safe everyone and we’ll see you in 2021. In the meantime please join us in supporting your local community, restaurants, food and drink producers and our Cornish fishermen wherever and whenever you can.”
Tickets for the 2020 festival – to be held at the same location, Dinham House in St Minver near Wadebridge – will be valid for next year’s event.
Rockoysterfestival.com
Eden Sessions
One of the high points of a summer of entertainment in Cornwall is the Eden Sessions, but this year managers have been forced to cancel the entire season. Headliners due to appear in front of the iconic biomes this year included Diana Ross. The Queen of Motown was bringing her Love Hangover tour to the UK and she was signed up for the Legends slot at Glastonbury (also not going ahead) alongside her Cornwall date.
Performances cancelled at Eden are Lionel Richie, My Chemical Romance and Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. The Noel Gallagher gig cannot be rescheduled but the Eden Sessions team is working hard to find dates for the other concerts next year.
The first show to be given a 2021 date is Irish alt-pop trio The Script who will perform at Eden next 14 July. The My Chemical Romance gig has been rescheduled for 15 June 2021.
Edensessions.com
Penzance Literary Festival
Dubbed “the friendliest litfest in the UK”, the Penzance Literary Festival would have celebrated its tenth anniversary year, which welcomes writers from all over the country.
But organisers are getting ready to bounce back in style in 2021 (date to be announced). In the meantime, there’s lots of fascinating material online including Life In Lockdown interviews with some of the authors who had been scheduled to appear including festival patron Patrick Gale.
Pzlitfest.co.uk
