Cornwall events in February 2015
St Ives Feast & Hurling the Silver Ball
The St Ives Feast is an ancient tradition that celebrates the anniversary of the consecration of the Parish Church of St Eia in 1434 and offers a rare chance to watch the game of Hurling the Silver Ball, a centuries’ old form of rugby.
The feast day falls on the first Monday after 3 February and starts off with the mayor’s civic procession for the blessing at St Ia Well near Porthmeor Beach, followed by the start of the boisterous hurling of the silver ball when participants attempt to win the ball off each other around the town.
28 February: World Pasty Championships
The Eden Project plays host to the World Pasty Championships which will celebrate the traditional Cornish pasty recipe, as well as some more unusual varieties.
From the Americas to Australia, pasties derived from recipes passed down by Cornish emigrants over the centuries are eaten and enjoyed by many millions of people. The championships invite entries from around the world - and its a great day out for pasty-lovers.
7 March: Redruth St Piran’s Day
The famous giant who was thrown out of Ireland and helped the Cornish discover tin gets his day every year as the patron saint of Cornwall is celebrated in fine style in the capital of Cornish mining.
12-29 March: Falmouth Spring Festival
Celebrating Falmouth’s open spaces, terrific coastline and gardens with this fab little festival which brings an explosion of early colour, life and activity to the town. Paint the Town Yellow Day sees thousands of daffodils being donated to hundreds of businesses by the schoolchildren of Falmouth; Run Falmouth is the town’s annual half-marathon running event in partnership with Cornwall Hospice Care while the two-day Folk & Cider Fayre will bring great food, drink and music to Events Square.
28 - 29 March: Cornwall Garden Society Spring Flower Show
For lovers of flora and fauna, this is a fragrant celebration of Cornish garden mania at Boconnoc near Lostwithiel.
24 April: Camborne Trevithick Day
This festival of free street entertainment celebrates the inventor, Richard Trevithick.
The main streets of Camborne are closed to traffic in order to host the attractions of street stalls, choirs, bands, clowns, buskers, musicians, dancers, street theatre, display of vintage vehicles, model exhibitions, fairground rides, stationary engine display and the noisy and fascinating procession of steam-powered engines.
23 -26 May: Art8 Festival
This Newquay festival celebrating all things arts and culture is a relative newcomer on the Cornish festival map but is already proving popular.
Work is underway for the 2015 festival so watch this space.
9 - 16 May: Fowey Festival of Words and Music
The Fowey Festival is inspired by the famed author Daphne du Maurier, who spent a large part of her life in and around Fowey, where she took inspiration from her surroundings to create a rich literary legacy of titles set in the Cornish landscape.
The festival continues to include a strand of du Maurier themed events from walks showcasing the inspiration behind the author’s stories to book readings and debates.
Since 1997 the festival has brought countless internationally renowned writers, performers and entertainers to Cornwall, creating a buzz of excitement in the town and attracting festival-goers from across the UK and overseas. The festival is embedded in the heart of the quintessential Cornish harbour, with panoramic views over the river and beyond to the open sea.
1 – 4 May: The 2015 World Pilot Gig Championships
This is the 26th year that the event has taken place and each year it gets bigger. Crews attend from as far afield as Holland and the USA. The majority of participants, however, come from the South West where the wooden pilot gigs are still built locally and race regularly. The atmosphere is buzzing and unlike any other weekend of the year on Isles of Scilly.
9 – 16 May: Art Scilly Week
Run by Phoenix Crafts on Porthmellon Business Park, the Art Scilly Week is a week of tuition, inspiration and relaxation by the sea. There are courses in everything from sketching, photography and silk scarf painting, to soft pastels, linocut-printing and Driftwood sculpture.
13 June: Golowan Festival and Mazey Day
Penzance’s Mazey Day is the main event on the second Saturday of the revived Cornish festival of Golowan which lasts for nine days (including two weekends).
12 – 14 June: Charles Causley Festival
Celebrating the life and work of Launceston’s most prized writer Charles Causley, the festival promotes the best of literature and arts from across the region.
The 2014 festival was the largest to date with a memorable performance by the Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy. This year poet Brian Patten will be joined by a variety of poets, writers, artists and musicians.
4 - 6 June: Royal Cornwall Show
The county show is the premier event of the summer with every kind of farming and livestock class, flower festivals, stands in arts, crafts, foods and fun.
26 - 28 June: Polo On The Beach 2015
Polo on the Beach is a real community event that’s all about bringing polo to a new audience, as well as creating a great spectator experience.
The weekend is focused around the main Watergate Bay Trophy match between two teams made up of the countries finest professional players on the beach at Watergate Bay.
Last year saw record crowds, three polo matches, including the first ever all-ladies match, stunt display teams, polo pony relay races, Segway polo as well as the Land Rover Experience, Joules and Cornwall Farmers’ Patch & Acre shop, First Great Western model railway challenge and beach-side music on Saturday evening while the sun went down.
11 July: Rock Oyster Festival
Rock Oyster Festival is one of the leading artisan food festivals in Cornwall and takes place at the stunning venue of 17th century Dinham House near Wadebridge. Alongside plenty of foodie activities and the best in Cornish produce there are entertainments for young and old.
Gunnislake Festival
The festival began in 2001 as a celebration of the regeneration works carried out in the village and takes place from the Wednesday before the first Saturday in August.
Expect village walks, live bands, film screenings and concerts and food. Local pubs put on a variety of events each evening with the main festival day ending off the week in a community jamboree.
A fascinating village history exhibition always creates a lot of interest (with daytime guided walks being an additional feature). Watch the traditional flora dance and children’s fancy dress parade on the Saturday and afterwards enjoy specialist bands and Morris dancing displays.
Dates to be confirmed
5 – 9 August: Boardmasters Festival of Music and Surfing in Cornwall
The now legendary Boardmasters will return for another full festival weekend of beach-side living! Split between Newquay’s famous Fistral Beach and nearby Watergate Bay which hosts the music arena, with arguably the world’s best view from a festival site and houses eight genre-spanning stages, bars, endless food stops, festi-stalls and rides. At Fistral Beach you can surf, skate, see evening gigs and surf art installations.
16 – 22 August: Fowey Royal Regatta
For one week in August the usually tranquil town of Fowey attracts thousands of visitors who flock there for the Fowey Royal Regatta, one of Britain’s premier sailing events. The regatta has a long and proud history, having attracted visitors including Queen Victoria, Prince Albert and Queen Elizabeth II. Alongside the sailing, there’s the Red Arrows, crab catching and children’s entertainment.
18 - 20 September: Bude for Food
Eat everything from charcuterie to chocolates, brownies to handmade bread, pasties to preserves in the Artisan Food Marquee. Watch top chefs demonstrate their skills in the kitchen theatre. There are masterclasses in the art of foraging and enjoy live entertainment.
1 – 4 September Bude Jazz Festival
A Festival of Traditional and New Orleans Jazz with the aim of satisfying audiences and dancers alike with live gigs, street parade
The 28th year of Jazz in Bude! Traditional and New Orleans Jazz whilst holding on to the most popular of other styles from years gone past.
12 – 26 September: St Ives September Festival
The St Ives September Festival features hundreds of events over 15 days with music, arts and literature events in locations throughout the town.
18 – 20 September: Looe Music Festival
A great family festival in a magical location. Head for the coast, fill your belly with Cornish pasties and your ears with the best live music
11, 12 and 13 September: Redruth Mining & Pasty Festival 2015
Redruth’s community event brings back two key elements of Cornwall’s history: mining and the not so humble pasty. Details are still being organised.
visitredruth.co.uk
7 September: St Agnes Belly Boarding World Championships
The World Belly Boarding Championship WBBC) was first started in 2002 with only a handful of competitors and has now grown into the World Championships we see today with over 300 surfers.
From the beginning it has been a very simple, back-to-basics comp – no wetsuits, no leashes and no swim fins. A bit of wood and a swimsuit is all you need!
Falmouth Oyster Festival
Held in Events Square, this foodie haven is a pearl in the food and drink calendar. More details to come.
The Great Cornish Food Festival
The best in Cornish food and drink take over Lemon Quay in Truro for days and nights of foods to try and buy, chefs to watch and entertain and stalls to wander. Last year attracted more than 40,000 visitors.
Boscastle Food and Drink festival
Held in the first weekend of October, this fabulous festival is now in its 12 year and offers up the very best in food and drink
20 November: Truro City of Lights
Nothing heralds the Christmas season quite like the warm glow of festive lights – and this festival and parade lights up the city in a spectacular fashion delighting the crowds who gather to see the display. Music and arts start from 5.45pm. City of Lights parade from 7pm.
Celtic Beer Festival
Held in the ancient cellars of St Austell Brewery, people will come from far and wide to sample more than 130 different ales, stouts and lagers, with live bands playing all day and night over three days and nights.
Four bars serve St Austell Brewery’s own award-winning beers, along with new and limited edition beers brewed just for the festival.
Mousehole Harborough Lights
Now in its 52 year, these incredible lights really mean Christmas is here.
Padstow Harbour Christmas Festival
Held in the first week of December the wonderful harbour comes alive with Christmas festivities and entertainment – and of course food and shopping!
