Best Events in Cornwall in 2024
Padstow Obby Oss – a traditional Cornish event right on our doorstep
Planning a trip to Cornwall this year? With so many incredible events and happenings in our sea-lashed county, why not plan your visit to coincide with one of the year’s festivals? Whether you’ve got a penchant for music, food, literature, sport, culture – or indeed a fusion of all of them – there’s an array of seaside celebrations for everyone.
Dance to international headliners with your toes in the sand. Tuck into the taste of Cornwall and learn to cook like a master chef. Rub shoulders with the literati and sing shanties beside the ocean. Grab your holiday calendar and book a holiday cottage for some of the best events in Cornwall in 2024.
April
CGS Spring Flower Show
6-7 April 2024, Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge
Cornwall’s early spring is something to be celebrated. A temperate climate means that the county blooms into a colourful display of foliage ahead of the rest of the UK, which can be admired at the Cornwall Garden Society’s incredible annual flower shower. Described as the ‘Chelsea of the West’ for good reason, expect plenty of garden inspiration and stunning displays. Stay in St Issey for easy access to the showground.
Photo Courtesy of CGS
Roseland Festival
Choir performance. Image courtesy of the Roseland Festival
19-28 April 2024
Make the most of Spring in Cornwall with a visit to the beautiful Roseland Peninsula. The diverse and eclectic Roseland Festival brings the landscape to life with a programme of walks and talks, folk and jazz music, history and art, films and photography, choirs and quartets – offering something for everyone.
Porthleven Food Festival
Photo courtesy of Portleven Food Festival
26-28 April 2024, Porthleven Harbour
This mighty three-day feast of food, music and entertainment has been awarded the title of one of Cornwall’s top festivals. Prepare for a smorgasbord of harbour-side happenings – from chef demos, street food and family entertainment, to mindfulness workshops, dancing and live music.
May
Obby Oss, Padstow
1 May 2024, Padstow town centre
Nowhere celebrates Mayday like Padstow’s Obby Oss. In one of the county’s most famous festivals steeped in Celtic tradition, ribboned effigies lead a procession through the streets, accompanied by flowers, flags, drums and singing. A raucous, colourful day out, it’s a sight to behold and one of the biggest days in the town’s calendar. Right on the doorstep of Harbour Holidays HQ, we’ve got a huge range of accommodation in Padstow if you want to be here for the big day.
Flora Day, Helston
Helston Flora Day
8 May 2024, Helston town centre
In another of Cornwall’s festivals to celebrate the onset of Spring, Flora Day sees hundreds of people take to the streets of Helston to dance in their finest frocks, top hats and tails. A colourful celebration that sees the town decked out in bluebells, gorse and holly leaves, the day includes a vibrant Hal-an-Tow pageant, a boisterous mummers’ play and formal dances, alongside a buzzing fairground and line-up of Cornish craft and food stalls.
Fowey Festival Of Arts And Literature
Photo courtesy of Fowey Festival of Arts and Literature
10-18 May 2024, various venues in Fowey
The annual Fowey Festival was launched in honour of the region’s most famous author, Daphne du Maurier, and her legacy is still very much at the core of this celebration of words, art and music. As well as readings from some of the region’s finest authors, enjoy creative workshops, art and literature trails, secret gardens and live music from classical to jazz. If you fancy getting your creative juices flowing, there’s also a short story competition with categories for adults and children.
June
Royal Cornwall Show
Photo courtesy of Royal Cornwall Show
6-8 June 2024, Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge
Cornwall’s biggest annual event at the heart of the county’s farming heritage, the Royal Cornwall Show marks the onset of summer proper with a huge fiesta that’s far more than a celebration of farming. As well as award-winning cattle, equestrian events and dancing tractors, you can tuck into foodie bounty, listen to live music and get your hands on the finest Cornish crafts in a vibrant festival ambience.
Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival
Photo courtesy of Falmouth International Sea Shanty festival
14-16 June 2024, various venues in Falmouth
Fancy yourself in a scene from Fishermen’s Friends? Come and celebrate Cornwall’s rich maritime heritage with boot-stomping songs of the sea. In Europe’s largest, free nautical music festival, over 70 local and international sea shanty groups come together and perform in venues across this vibrant harbour town. Coinciding with the Falmouth Classics Regatta, it’s an all-out maritime fiesta.
Mevagissey Feast Week
Image Courtesy of Mevagissey Feast Week.
22-29 June 2024, Mevagissey town centre
There’s no better time to visit Cornwall’s ‘forgotten corner’ than when Mevagissey launches into full festival mode with Feast Week at the start of summer. Drop a crabbing line off the harbour wall, watch fishing boat races, dance through the streets, sing shanties and round up the evenings with fireworks displays.
July
Armchair Adventure Festival
Speaker at the Armchair Adventure Festival
25-28 July 2024, Mount Edgcumbe
Got a hankering for outdoor adventure? Travel the world from your armchair, with talks, films, connections and music at the UK’s celebration of adventure travel. Of course, being a gathering of adventurous spirits, it’s only natural that you can get out and try activities such as paddle boarding, wild swimming, coasteering and sailing.
Rock Oyster Festival
25-28 July 2024, Dinham House, near Rock
A must-go event for foodies, families and music lovers, the Rock Oyster Festival is our favourite local festival. Hogging a prime location overlooking the Camel Estuary, expect a smorgasbord of live music, artisan grub, well-being workshops and interactive kids’ sessions including storytelling and bushcraft. Take a look at our cottages around Padstow or Rock for the perfect place to stay on the doorstep of the festival.
August
Padstow to Rock Swim
Swimmers in the Padstow to Rock Swim. Photo courtesy of Marie Curie
2 August 2024
Watch or join hundreds of swimmers as they take the challenge to swim across the Camel Estuary. At one-mile wide with a fast moving tide, it’s no easy task. But there is a huge safety crew to keep the swimmers in check and it’s a wonderful spectacle and big fundraising event for the Marie Curie cancer charity. If you’re in Padstow for a holiday in early August, check it out or, even better, participate yourself. The influx of swimmers and spectators for the event creates a party atmosphere in the town and at the end of the swim in Rock.
Boardmasters
Surfer at Boardmasters Festival in Cornwall. Photo by Jason Feast for Boardmasters
7-11 August 2024, Watergate Bay and Fistral Beach, Newquay
Boardmasters is one of the coolest dates in the Cornish festival calendar having become a world-famous surf and music festival. By day international surf pros battle it out to be king of the waves, while in the evening big-name bands hit the stages overlooking the golden sands of Watergate Bay. With Stormzy, Chase & Status and Becky Hill amongst the headliners, this year promises to be the biggest party yet. It’s only a short drive down the coast to Boardmsters from Padstow, but for close proximity, pick a holiday home in Mawgan Porth.
Falmouth Week
Image courtesy of Falmouth Week.
9-17 August 2024, various venues in Falmouth
So much more than a spectacular sailing regatta, what started out as a local sailing regatta in 1837 has turned into one of Falmouth’s biggest annual events. Now there’s plenty for landlubbers and maritime fans, as the whole town hits party mode for a week of sailing competitions, street parades, family entertainment and live music.
September
St Ives September Festival
Photo courtesy of St Ives September Festival
14-28 September 2024, St Ives town centre
The well-known idyllic spot of St Ives is home to a fortnight of festival action centred around music and the arts. Cleverly scheduled to take place in September, when the summer holiday crowds have left the county, the festival features poetry, exhibitions and even guided walks; a perfect way to kick off autumn.
Little Orchard Cider and Music Festival
13-15 September 2024, Healey’s Cyder Farm, Truro
Rounding up a summer packed with world-class music festivals, this true Cornish celebration, now in its eleventh year, pays homage to Cornwall’s local cider, live music and lush landscapes. Head to the rural setting at Healey’s Cyder Farm, and in addition to music from the likes of the Dub Pistols, the Levellers and the Land of the Giants, you’ll find unique extras such as the Rattler Olympics, Mount Hawke skate ramp and Wild Stone Spa.
October
Falmouth Oyster Festival
Photo courtesy of Falmouth Oyster Festival
October 2024 dates tbc, The Waterfront, Falmouth
Join in four days of feasting and festivities devoted to the mighty mollusc. Celebrating the fruits of the remaining traditional oyster fisheries still dredging under sail and oar, oysters and champagne are on the menu and there’s plenty of live music and entertainment.
December
Padstow Christmas Festival
Image courtesy of Padstow Christmas Festival.
December 2024 dates tbc, Padstow Harbour
If you think mid-winter puts an end to the frivolities here in Cornwall, you’d be wrong. Lit up by fairy lights on the edge of Padstow’s pretty harbour, Padstow’s Christmas Festival brings food, music and festivities to our harbour town in the advent of Christmas. It’s worth booking your accommodation in advance for this smashing winter spectacle, that invites you tuck into warming gourmet dishes, fills you with inspiration for festive feasts, and brings together Cornwall’s artisan vendors so you can get all your stocking fillers with a glass of mulled Cornish cyder in hand.
Book a cottage in Cornwall for some of the best events of 2024
Harbour Holidays has an array of holiday cottages in and around Padstow that make the perfect base to come and visit some of Cornwall’s vibrant events. Check out our collection of cottages and holiday homes and find your perfect festival bolthole in North Cornwall. If you want more inspiration for fantastic events in Cornwall, see our guide to this summer’s best music festivals in Cornwall.