Penzance Events and Festivals

(Penzance, Cornwall, England, UK)

Penzance offers a reasonable programme of yearly events and there is usually some to watch or observe most months, particularly during the summer. Always popular is the Golowan, Feast of St. John festival, which is one of the most important community arts festivals in the whole of Cornwall and lasts around ten days.

Other popular Penzance festivals and worthwhile things to do include the Tom Bawcocks Eve event each December in Mousehole, and also many other top festivals in nearby towns and villages, such as the well-supported St. Ives September Fringe Festival, where there is a large selection of free events and live music.

National Public Holidays

• 1st January - New Year's Day
• Good Friday / Easter Monday - late March or early April
• First and last Monday in May
• Last Monday in August
• 25th December - Christmas Day
• 26th December - Boxing Day

Calendar of Festivals and Events 2014 / 2015

January

• January Sales - throughout January, local shops discount their goods to clear the shelves and make way for springtime lines

February

• Valentine's Day - February 14th, many local restaurants cash in on this day of love, with romantic meals for two

March

• Easter Events - late March / early April, local religious services take place on Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday around Penzance, while for chocoholics, the shops are always brimming with Easter eggs in all sizes

April

• Trevithick Day - late April, remembering the mining past of Camborne, just 22 km / 14 miles from Penzance and offering free entertainment for all the family
• Giant Bolster Weekend - late April in St. Agnes, festivities based around the legendary character of Bolster, a local giant

May

• Helston Flora Day - early May in Helston, where locals dance their way through the streets, also featuring a fair and plenty of local stalls

June

• Golowan Festival - mid-June, local Penzance event which is amongst Cornwall's most impressive community arts festivals, offering ten whole days of entertainment, including live music, theatrical performances and Mazey Day processions

July

• RNAS Culdrose Air Day - mid-July, with breathtaking flying displays and many enormous aircraft on display, at nearby Helston
• Lafrowda Day - mid-July in St. Just, just 14 km / 9 miles from Penzance, with more than 12 hours of continuous live music on two separate stages, with many local performers, together with street entertainment, market stalls, parades and colourful lanterns at night
• Penzance Literary Festival (PZ Litfest)- mid-July, authors talks and readings are among the activities that are provided to encourage a joy of writing and reading

August

• West of England Steam Rally - mid August in St. Agnes, around 38 km / 24 miles from Penzance, with around 200 steam engines and a display of historic, vintage vehicles
• Newlyn Fish Festival - late August at the Newlyn Harbour, a noteworthy fundraising event complete with fish market, cooking demos and traditional Cornish music, attended by in excess of 20,000 people each year

September

• St. Ives September Fringe Festival - mid-September, one of the highlights in the nearby town of St. Ives, boasting a seemingly endless selection of free events, including live music and film screenings

October

• There are no significant festivals in the Penzance area during the month of October

November

• Bonfire Night / Guy Fawkes - November 5th, an excellent excuse for a coastal fireworks display, attracting large crowds

December

• Tom Bawcocks Eve - late December in Mousehole, celebrating the local tale of Tom Bawcocks, a brave fisherman who sailed into the eye of a storm and returned with a large catch, used to make the village's infamous 'Starry Gazey Pie'