Top 10 Events in Cornwall
Whilst there are more than 10 things to do throughout the year in Cornwall we thought we'd select a random mix of the best for you. Of course we had to miss out a few like Mousehole Christmas Lights and Tom Bawcocks but below are some of the longest running and biggest events on the calendar in Cornwall. For more info on what's going on this month have a look at our events in Cornwall section
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Golowan
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St Ives September Festival
The St Ives September Festival is a two-week festival of music, film, exhibitions, talks, poetry, classes, guided walks, open studios, theatre and comedy that attracts visitors and performers from all over the world. The festival has been going since 1978 and has featured the likes of Seth Lakeman, Barbara Dickson, George Melly and Elkie Brooks. Alongside the ticketed venues there is a plethora of street-level art and music as well as impromptu gigs in pubs and clubs. Accommodation should be booked well in advance as the festival is extremely popular!
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Obby Oss
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Mummers Day
Mummers Day, formerly known as 'Darkie Days', is a festival that takes place in Padstow every Boxing Day and New Year's Day, when locals take to the streets with blackened faces for general merrymaking. The festival is part of an ancient tradition of Pagan midwinter festivals that used to take place all over Cornwall during the twelve days of Christmas. The festivals centred on the practice of guise dancing (goose dancing) and usually involved the performance of a traditional play, known as a Mummers play. Recent concerns that Padstow's 'Darkie Days' festival could be seen as racist have prompted it to be renamed Mummers Day.
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Helston Flora Day
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Run To The Sun
Run To The Sun WAS a showcase of custom cars and VW vehicles, held in the style of a dance festival, that takes place in Newquay every year. The three day event, which straddles the May bank holiday, features four separate arenas of DJs, bands and comics, as well as competitions to find the best custom car. The vehicles depart from Heston services on the M4 and arrive en masse as part of a 'cruise' organised by 'Volksworld', a VW magazine. Since its inception in 1987, Run To The Sun has become one of the largest events of its kind in Europe, attracting thousands of car enthusiasts.
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Newlyn Fish Festival
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The Royal Cornwall Show
Royal Cornwall Show is Cornwall's biggest annual event and one of the country's leading agricultural shows, consisting of three days packed with entertainment for all the family. Now in its two hundred and nineteenth year, the show takes place in June on the Royal Cornwall Showground, near Wadebridge, and features literally hundreds of classes showing all kinds of animals, from rare breeds to dogs and goats to rabbits, birds and even bees. Alongside the animal competitions are dozens of cafes selling locally grown and produced food, a traditional steam fair, hundreds of trade posts selling everything from tractors to chicken feed and numerous stages and tents devoted to music and dance.
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Fowey Royal Regatta
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Falmouth Oyster Festival
Celebrating the start of the oyster dredging season, the Falmouth Oyster Festival is a showpiece for the diversity and quality of Cornish Seafood and one of the last remaining traditional oyster fisheries. Now entering its thirteenth year, the festival features cookery demonstrations by leading local chefs, oysters, seafood, wine and local ale, children's shell painting, sea shanties, a town parade, live music, an oyster shucking competition, a Falmouth Working Boat race and marquees brimming with Cornish produce. The festival is a must for all oyster, seafood and maritime heritage enthusiasts!