MUSIC & FESTIVALS

Sarah McQuaid is a Cornwall-based singer-songwriter who has been mentioned in a quiz question on BBC Radio 4’s Counterpoint, featured on the O2 Music Map, supported by the Arts Council, presented with a Lifetime Achievement Award for her guitar work, and earned critical raves for her albums (all seven of them) and live performances — but remains largely unknown to the general public. She is aiming to go a small distance towards changing that with a 55-show autumn UK and USA tour that brings her total number of gigs this year to 98 — not quite as many as the 118 concerts she played in 2023, her first full year of touring since the pandemic, but still an ambitious undertaking. Catch her in Cornwall on Sunday 1 September 2024 at Launceston Folk Club or Sunday 22 September 2024 at Sterts Studio.

Seasick Steve and the one and only Chesney Hawkes are among the bands taking to the stage at the Little Orchard Cider & Music Festival, Healeys Cyder Farm, (Fri 13 – Sun 15 Sept) popular with Newquay locals. Day tickets now available.

A celebration of Cornish arts and culture is taking place at Hall for Cornwall in Truro on Tues 17 Sept to draw attention to housing crisis solutions. Organised by Homes for Cornwall, an independent collective of volunteers, the evening will be hosted by adventurer and writer Gail Muller, the evening will include performances from Fisherman’s Friends, singer Holly Turton, spoken-word collective The Story Republic, performance artist Seamas Carey, writer and singer-songwriter Catrina Davies and more.

Additionally, a number of speakers will present innovative, local, solutions to create more affordable homes in Cornwall, including the The Acre Project, a progressive initiative that aims to help communities create the homes they need to flourish, and give them decision-making power about how this new housing is allocated.

CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS

There’s heaps to explore across Cornwall at the Heritage Open Days Festival various locations, Fri 6 – Sun 15 Sept– a fantastic way to see our ‘hoods prettiest buildings and landmarks that are free to enter for the public.

This September, Cornwall Heritage Trust is back hosting their festival at The Lost Gardens of Heligan to celebrate Cornwall’s unique and distinct heritage with Awenek: The Great Cornish Heritage Festival, Sun 8 Sept.

This exclusive fun-filled day will be packed with an array of hands-on activities and demonstrations showcasing Cornwall’s arts, culture, traditions, and history.

The festival is called Awenek which means Creative in Cornish. Visitors will be given the chance to explore the gardens and watch demonstrations from creative artists, take part in ‘Make and Take’ activities, listen to Cornish music and enjoy Cornish dancing and storytelling.

The festival is included in the garden admission ticket price, and free for Heligan Local Pass and Membership. Cornwall Heritage Trust members can also enjoy free entry to The Lost Gardens of Heligan on this day.

St Ives September Festival, St Ives, (Sat 14 – Sat 28 Sept) – with the summer rush of holidaymakers over, St Ives draws down art and music lovers from all over the country for a whole host of exhibitions and cultural events. Expect music, art and poetry events, exhibitions, galleries, guided walks and open artist studios across multiple venues over the 15 days.

CINEMA & THEATRE

Set on the hotel’s clifftop lawns with the ocean as the backdrop, Polurrian’s open air cinema is one of the most scenic spots to watch a movie. The final shows for this season include the dystopian romantic Brit flick (based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel), Never Let Me Go, playing at 4.30pm on Sat 7 September. This is followed by eighties cult classic, The Lost Boys, at 7.30pm. Bring your own seating, or deckchairs are available to hire at £2.50. A specially curated movie menu will be on offer as well as popcorn. Tickets cost £10 per adult and £7.50 per child or drive in from £25 per car (limited spaces available).

Down in Pendeen, Wildworks presents an ambitious staging of Stranger Beasts, written by Mydd Pharo and Mercedes Kemp. It tells the story of Belerion, a girl born of a cosmic mother and an earth-born father, bound to change the destinies of her land and her people. The epic show has an acclaimed all-female cast and is being staged in the most
dramatic setting – the rugged surrounds of an iconic tin mine on the far edge of
Cornwall. Stranger Beasts runs from September 18 to October 6 at Geevor Tin Mine just outside the village of Pendeen, near Penzance.

GET OUTSIDE

RUN – bookmark the 7th September, and choose from either the Saints Way – 28.5 miles across the county following the beautiful way-marked trail, or the mega The Saints Way Ricochet, 57 miles, Sat 7 Sept, a supported, self-navigation exercise with three manned checkpoints with fluid and sustenance along the route. Through fields, valleys & woodlands, over Tors and passing through some stunning parts of hidden Kernow. Start in beautiful Padstow & finish in pretty, picturesque Fowey. Generous cut-offs, well stocked checkpoints & medals for all!

CYCLE – Land’s End 100 Sportive, Sat 14 Sept, has been successfully running from Folly Field, right beside the iconic St Michael’s Mount at Marazion, Penzance since 2010. There is a choice of three cycle routes: the Long route (104 miles), the Medium Route (72 miles) or the Short route (46 miles), each taking in some of the most picturesque landscapes across the Cornish Peninsula.

RUN: Man Up & Down 2024 20km, Sat 21 Sept is a coast path trail run supporting Man Down Cornwall, who offer a safe space to meet the current emotional and mental health needs of men who are struggling to cope with the everyday pressures facing them in our modern society. Setting off from Portreath, navigating the iconic, rugged, North Cornwall coastline and ending at the Watering Hole in Perranporth. There will be checkpoints at Porthtowan and St.Agnes, there are no cut off times, every runner will receive a medal, awards for 1st, 2nd, 3rd place male & female.

TRIATHLON: Falmouth Tri: The Seal – Cornish Tri Series, Sun 22 Sept – Golden sands, turquoise water and panoramic views over the Lizard Peninsula from Henry VIII’s Pendennis Castle. The Grand Season Finale to the Cornish Tri Series in the calm waters of Cornwall’s swimming hotspot, the blue flag rated Gyllyngvase Beach, is a treat for all senses.

RUN: Marazion 10k – The Revival, Marazion (Sun 29 Sept) is a Largely flat (for Cornwall), in a nice 10km loop starting and finishing in Marazion. A hoodie is included in the entry price.

LAST CHANCE TO BOOK YOUR PLACE: Eden Marathon and Half Marathon, The Eden Project, Sun 20 Oct — Cornwall’s biggest running event – registration is now open until 30 September or until all places are taken. Hundreds of T-shirts are either not collected or not worn after race events each year so once again Eden have taken the decision not to offer a T-shirt at this year’s event and instead, will be planting wildflower habitats at the Eden Project for every runner registered. Entry includes water, isotonic drink station, medal, pint and a pasty (!) and free entry to Eden for runners and accompanying family members and supporters on the day.

ART & ART EXHIBITIONS

LAST CHANCE! Ends Sat 7 SeptemberThe third and final instalment to Seamas Carey’s trilogy of work on Cornwall, nationalism & identity. Following the success of the The Reason Why podcast and the award winning live show Help! I Think I’m A Nationalist, comes the resulting visual companion piece, One & All has been exhibiting at the Museum of Cornish Life in Helston. Boldly referencing and subverting the iconic image of the Cornish crest (a miner and a fisherman flanking a shield), the collection of portraits (captured by photographer Steve Tanner) explores what the people of 21st century Cornwall look like now.

At Penlee House in Penzance is a major exhibition of the Newlyn School artist Harold Harvey (ends 29 Sept) held to commemorate the 150th anniversary of his birth. Penzance-born Harvey was a true ‘son of Cornwall’, and a notable member of the Newlyn School artists’ colony, which flourished from 1880 to 1940. The son of a bank manager, he grew up in Penzance, and after studying under Norman Garstin and a spell in Paris, he settled to a quiet life in Newlyn with fellow artist Gertrude, painting the Cornwall he knew from the inside.

NEW EXHIBITIONS!

Form (Princess Pavilion, Falmouth, Fri 20 – Sun 22 Sept) is a new annual visual arts festival in Falmouth which celebrates the visual arts heritage and vibrant creative culture of the area with the first one in 2022. The events, with something for all ages and many of which are free, include exhibitions; workshops featuring pottery, printing and crocheting; demonstrations, such as wood turning and Raku pottery firing; film screenings; life drawing classes; as well as an arts trail of local school children’s work – the future artists of Cornwall – in shop windows across Falmouth.

Naomi Frears: Night After Night, Sat 7 September – 2 November 2024, Kestle Barton is her third exhibition at Kestle Barton. The previous two shows foregrounded her work with film. This time we are presenting new paintings and works on paper made for Kestle Barton. A small selection of her films will also be shown in the Apple Store, upstairs and opposite the main gallery. Frears is based in the Porthmeor Studios in St Ives, Cornwall. Her practice includes work with film and video, as well as printmaking, painting, and collaborative curatorial projects.

Ongoing exhibitions in Cornwall

Crysede: Iconic Imagemakers at Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro

Crysede: Iconic Imagemakers at Royal Cornwall Museum in Truro (adults £7.50 for an annual pass, under 18s free) explores this influential Cornish fashion and textile company Cryséde, 100 years on from its creation, looking at the characters behind the brand and the artistic connections drawing from RCM’s rich archive supported by loans from Penlee House.

Over at The Eden Project a new exhibition presents a powerful and immersive film by internationally acclaimed British artist and Turner Prize nominee Cornelia Parker – THE FUTURE (Sixes and Sevens) (2023) offers a poignant exploration of the future through the eyes of primary school children, where six and seven-year-olds candidly share their hopes, fears, and visions for the future.

https://cornwall.muddystilettos.co.uk/things-to-do/arts-culture-things-to-do/first-look-beatriz-milhazes-maresias-tate-st-ives/

At Tate St Ives is Maresias, a major exhibition of the work of Brazilian abstract artist, Beatriz Milhazes. The exhibition celebrates the evolution of her approach over four decades, while also highlighting nature as an enduring and increasingly important theme in her work. Turner Contemporary, who first staged Maresias, have collaborated with Tate St Ives to reimagine the exhibition to be seen this summer in Cornwall, bringing it to a second UK coastal destination.

Maresias refers to the salty sea breeze that is part of Milhazes’s everyday life in the coastal city of Rio de Janeiro. The exhibition encourages us to reflect on our own relationship to the environment. Milhazes says, ‘my context has been surrounded by forests, mountains and coastal experiences; the development of a ‘tropical’ way of thinking. It was very special to exhibit my work at Turner Contemporary and now at Tate St Ives – to smell the sea salt breeze of the same ocean as Rio de Janeiro. Same water, different cultures, but in the end it is all about life.’

For the first time, five of Mark Rothko’s Seagram murals are being shown together at the Tate St Ives and you’ll find them as you exit the exhibition in a low contemplative light in gallery 10. The Seagram murals were donated by Rothko the Tate in 1969 after being completed by the artist in his studio in New York in 1958, where they were a initially painted as a commission for the Four Seasons restaurant in the Seagram Building. Despite completing the work – and a second and then third version- to the space specification of the commission, after a visit to Europe and Cornwall in 1959 Rothko decided that the restaurant was not the right place for the installation and it was never completed. The works move away from his original brighter colours and are instead more red and black, inspired by visits to Florence. An exciting opportunity to see multiple Rothko’s in Cornwall!

LITERARY

Patrick Gale, North Cornwall Book Festival

North Cornwall Book Festival (Thurs 26 – Sun 29 Sept) returns to St Endellion with a tempting author line-up, including Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage, and Booker Prize winners, Anne Enright and Alan Hollinghurst. Visitors will also have the opportunity to enjoy evening entertainment, including concerts from LYR and Haunt The Woods, an evening of stand-up with Cornwall’s very own Kernow King (Edward Rowe) and a live recording of BBC Radio 4’s Loose Ends. This is Patrick Gale’s final year as Artistic Director (pictured) and he is determined to make his last festival at the helm one to remember. Click here to find out more.

FOODIE

Duchy of Cornwall Nursery woodland feast with firepit

Love the location for our Muddy Awards drinks back in June at the Duchy of Cornwall Nursery? Then head over for their Autumn Woodland Feast (Fri 20 Sept) – an evening of fantastic music and fabulous food up on the Woodland Terrace. An Indian Summer finish to this season’s trio of feasts will boast great music and a more Autumnal food offering from our Duchy Grill. Book now to secure a seat for the last blast of summer on our Woodland Terrace. £50pp to include a three course meal, welcome drink and live music.

Jenna Foxton, man serving moules from a big pan with red checked table cloths

The first Penzance Food Festival, Fri 13 – Sun 15 Sept is being held in the heart of the town in Penlee Park. Entry is FREE and the event will run for 3 days from 10am-8pm and promises to deliver a vibrant platform for chefs, food producers, musicians and artists to showcase their craft, giving visitors a chance to immerse themselves in the creative community of this historic coastal town. The event is run by three Cornish foodies; Harry James-Mills & Barney Farnworth bring their experience of running the hugely successful Falmouth Food Festival, now into its third year and Oona Burch, a chef and baker, brings her local knowledge of Penzance and all it has to offer. They proudly strive to source all food traders, musicians, artists and even services, from within a 30km radius. This key effort creates a noticeably authentic atmosphere and something that Penzance can really be proud of, attracting locals and visitors alike.

Looe Food and Drink Festival, Sun 15 Sept, is a one-day celebration of all things food and drink, held on East Looe Quay. Free entry, with demos from some of the area’s best chefs.

Rounding off the month is Truro Food Festival, exploding back onto the culinary scene in a colourful, flavoursome, and thoroughly Cornish reincarnation. Set to be held over five action-packed days, the gas will be lit on Wednesday 25 September with the festival coming to a sizzling finish on Sunday 29th.

Rupert Cooper bbq on the beach isles of scilly food and drink festival
CREDIT Faye Lovelady

Taste of Scilly food & drink festival, Thurs 12 Sept – Sun 22 Sept 2024, held across the island this year is the most ambitious and jam-packed programme yet, with more collaborations between island producers and restaurants than ever before, more new event concepts and excitingly, some special guests from the mainland….

Isles of Scilly Travel are giving a 10% discount on travel over the event – Isles of Scilly Travel: Quote TASC24 – travel PZE & LEQ 07/09/24 to 25/09/24 // Penzance Helicopters: Quote TASTESCILLY – the discount code runs from the 11/09/24 to 23/09/24

Hosted across six venues in Falmouth Town, bringing together 14 breweries for the free beer trail (Fri 20 – Sun 22 Sept) organised in celebration of good beer by Verdant Brewery – and to celebrate their 10th birthday. You’ll need to visit The Working Boat, Underland (The Chintz), The Seaview Inn, The Cornish Bank, The Front, and of course, The Verdant Seafood Bar in order to get to try beers from all of the participating breweries. Think of it as a treasure hunt for beer lovers, with some of the freshest and best brews the UK beer scene has to offer.

OTHER EVENTS

Watergate Bay Hotel will play host to some of the best volleyball players in the UK as Watergate Bay Hotel and Deep Dish Beach Volleyball will welcome crowds (Fri 13 – Sun 15 Sept). Watch the tournament on the Saturday and on Sunday anyone who would like to have a go themselves can book a free learn-and-play session.

BIRRA MORRETTI will also be partnering with local company Cornish Italian to serve arancini, bruschetta and cannoli to the crowds as part of their wider takeover of The Beach Hut between 9 and 22 September.

Watergate Bay Sprint, Sat 21 – Sun 22 Sept is a two-day closed road speed event retaining the new sprint format that was introduced in 2021 which replaced the hillclimb. The Watergate Sprint will provide competitors with a unique closed-road challenge and spectators superb viewing above the cliffs at Watergate Bay.

NOT ON THIS YEAR

The Cruel & Curious Sea, Stowe Barton, Nr Bude – the series of art exhibitions celebrating the unusual and unsettling has previously taken place in September at the barns in Stowe Barton, but 2023 was the final hurrah.

Porthleven Arts Festival in 2022 and 2023 more than 60 events across the town including exhibitions, art, workshops, music, poetry and performance. It’s about community, about participation and, most importantly, about celebrating art in all its many and diverse forms. No word whether the festival will return for 2025.

Super September! What’s on in Cornwall this month

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