With the end of lockdown looming: the thought of going out with friends and families is soon to become a reality. With endless social media posts plastered over the internet about the latest festivals that have been cancelled, not cancelled and everything in-between, it’s easy to get lost in all the information. So simply laid, here are the top six events soon to hit your doorstep and get you in the mood for celebrating summer.
Falmouth Virtual Sea Shanty: 19th June 2021
The Falmouth Sea Shanty back in 2019, when the festival took place in-person. Photo: Falmouth Sea Shanty
To start off the Cornish summer: here’s an event for those who aren’t quite feeling up to the big crowds and the close proximities, taking place straight after the pandemic. The Falmouth Sea Shanty is occurring online this year, being streamed over Facebook and YouTube, and expects to welcome tens of thousands of viewers over the one-day event. The maritime event celebrates Cornish music and will show both pre-recorded and live performances from international groups presenting Cornish songs.
Porthleven Food Festival: 2nd July – 4th July 2021
Porthleven’s Food Festival took over the entire village back in 2019. The festival is anticipated to make Porthleven just as colourful in its post-Covid debut later this year. Photo: Porthleven Food Festival
The Porthleven Food Festival is a three-day fanatical, which hosts many mini-events and food activities spread across the town, situated near Helston. A family-friendly event that offers more than just food or music, it’s something we all can enjoy. The event usually runs over April, but like other events, the organisers have decided to move the festival back to try and avoid the disappointment of another cancellation. With not just food presented throughout the weekend, the Porthleven-based festival can do more than tantalise your tastebuds.
With the option to camp locally, there isn’t anything stopping you from pitching up and joining in on the Cornish fun that is guaranteed from the weekend.
Boardmasters: 11th- 15th August 2021
The view of Boardmasters Festival Grounds, Watergate Bay. Photo: Alex Rawson
Perhaps the most notable event on any young person’s itinerary is the infamous Cornish surfing and music festival, Boardmasters. As the surfing festival has been running since 1981 in Newquay, with the musical element being brought in in 2005 and with it brought a dramatic increase the demand for tickets. The festival has been postponed for the last two years, in 2019 for extreme weather conditions and 2020 for fears of furthering the spread of COVID-19, but the 2021 event highly anticipate the return of fans. The event is now sold out and is expected to attract nearly 80,000 unique visitors, with many hoping the wait over the last two years will be worth the wait.
Falmouth Tall Ships: 17th – 19th August 2021
The Tall Ships Race back in 2016, when the event celebrated its 60th anniversary in Sweden. Photo: Shutterstock
The Tall Ships race offers an alternative event for all the family to enjoy and makes the most of Cornwall’s seaside location. The race, which has been running since 1956, announced that the coastal town of Falmouth will be the starting point for the 2021 event. The international event will see over 30 sailing ships coming to Cornwall to celebrate a more traditional mode of transport. The Tall Ships Race started as a farewell to the sailing ship, after being overshadowed by the rise of steam-powered boats in World War 2. But the success and interest of the first event, which took place in Torquay, has kept the tradition going for over 50 years. As well as the starting point for the race, Falmouth will host the Parade of Sail, where the Tall Ships competing get to be seen by everyone attending the Cornish start point. This event offers something different from the regular occasion that occurs in Cornwall and is too good to miss.
Tunes in the Dunes: 2nd – 4th September 2021
Tunes in the Dunes in full blast, back in 2019. Photo: Tunes in the Dunes
Another music event, up next on our list, is the beach-based event, Tunes in the Dunes. The event runs over three evenings, where live artists will perform and surround the shores of Perranporth beach hosting a vibrant and welcoming ambience as the event returns for 2021. After being postponed last May, Tunes in the Dunes has been pushed back by over three months to ensure it goes ahead in 2021. With the likes of Craig David and Tom Walker headlining, the event expects to see thousands visit the small Cornish town and we can’t wait!
Royal Cornwall Show: 9th – 11th September 2021
The Royal Cornwall Show celebrating all things Kernow at a pre-pandemic event Photo: Royal Cornwall Show
The final event, on our list, offers the widest variety of experiences throughout its three- day period. With flowers and farming to describe just a fraction of the attractions offered at the event, you won’t be left without anything to do. The jam-packed festival was cancelled last year, so the announcement of this years events going ahead anticipates thousands of visitors to attend the town of Wadebridge, where the event is situated.
With many events returning to Cornwall after a hard year away, Malcolm Bell from Visit Cornwall told Truthfal that “The world pandemic has cost the Vista economy of Cornwall over £1 billion during 2020, that is a loss of almost 50% of what we would normally expect to see in a “normal year”. Therefore, it is vital for the benefit of the wider economy, for tourism, to have a strong recovery in 2021 albeit in a managed safe manner” He went on to say that “We welcome the return of events as one of the key plans to driving the recovery of tourism in Cornwall”.
So what are you waiting for? Find your favourite event and book in something to look forward to this summer.