CORNISH CULTURE

Mazey Day Penzance Cornwall Uk street parade — Mazey Day Penzance

Golowan & Mazey Day (Fri 21 – Sun 30 June) Penzance really knows how to throw a street party and Golowan is the traditional celebration of midsummer, marked with music, serpent dances, fairs, greenery and banners. Expect fireworks on Mazey Eve or bring the family to Mazey Day to see the parade of incredible, giant sculptures.

The annual Military Day celebration at Trebah (Sat 1 June) includes a performance from Culdrose Military Wives. On 1 June 1944, a regiment of 7,500 men of the 29th US Infantry Division, along with their tanks, guns and transport, embarked from Trebah Beach in ten 150-foot flat-bottomed LST landing craft.

Also look out for 80th Anniversary of D-Day events across Cornwall and beyond which includes the The D-Day 80 Proclamation at 8am on 6 June 2024 across Cornish and UK towns, with the D-Day 80 Lamp Light of Peace and Beacons across the UK lit at 9.15pm the same day. Many more events will take place in local towns on Sat 8 June, check social media locally.

Royal Cornwall Show Wadbridge Cornwall 8 9 10 June 2023

Not quite cultural, but certainly Cornish, it’s the annual Royal Cornwall Show, Wadebridge (Thurs 6 – Sat 8 June). The big one in the country calendar, the Royal Cornwall Show has been hosted for more than two centuries, and the inset days of the local schools summer term are timed round it, and even the then Prince of Wales attending in 2022. As you’d expect from a traditional country show there are animals, entertainment, a flower show, and competition classes of all kinds – obviously it’s unlikely that Kate will show up, but will Wills be there this year, or maybe another Royal stand in will attend instead?

MUSIC & FESTIVALS

Starting the month is The Great Estate Festival, Scorrier (Fri 31 May – Sun 2 June) billed as “The most rambunctious Garden Fête!” Expect major international headline acts and a mix of comedy, theatre, music and the arts, all within the beautiful grounds of Scorrier Estate, with headliners The Stranglers, The Darkness and Soul II Soul. Look out for the vintage fairground, woodland silent disco, secret gin garden, The Whispering Woods, burlesque sessions, Madame Wong’s House of Wrong, classical corner, glamping, hot tubs, The Sanctuary and the Swamp Circus and much more.

Music is then the name of the game across the Duchy with Underworld (8 June), Simple Minds (22 June), Ann-Marie (23 June), Jess Glynne (29 June), James Arthur (30 June) all Live at The Wyldes near Bude. Meanwhile, Crowded House (12 June), Fatboy Slim (15 June) and Suede & Manic Street Preachers (29 June) join the stellar line up of stars who have appeared on the fast becoming iconic Cornish stage at the Eden Sessions.

Down south, Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival (Fri 14 – Sun 16 June) is a busy and loud weekend of performances by shanty groups from across the UK, Brittany and beyond including Cornwall’s own groups including The Fishermen’s Friends, filling up pubs and stages across the town with often free performances.

Over at Watergate Bay Arts on the Beach (Sat 15 – Sun 16 June) is a free family weekend of whale theatre, aerial performance, dance, music and creative workshops plus a 13-foot roaming puppet was a great hit last summer with families from across Cornwall. Further down the coast, it’s Bands In The Sands at Perranporth’s Watering Hole plays host to a throwback party (Fri 21 June).

Down in Mousehole, Ale & Anchor, is a family friendly music and ale festival at The Old Coastguard (Fri 21 – Sun 23 June) in the gorgeous pub garden. Expect music and acts on the Friday night with the Kernow King, followed by The Odd Folk. Children’s events will include Storytelling on Saturday as well as Mark’s Ark (10am – 5pm) with a full menagerie including barn owls, skunks, spiders and lizards. All day Sunday the Swamp Circus will be performing. Other acts over the weekend include Pensans Morris Dancers; Atlantic Roots and Broken Down. On the drinks menu are local beers, cocktails from pocketfulofstones, and food served from The Crab Shack all weekend.

ART & ART EXHIBITIONS

There are many galleries large and small across Cornwall, where you can see the work of local artists but during this special event, almost 300 Cornish-based artists will open their studios to visitors. Cornwall Open Studios gives a chance to see some of these artists and a unique insight into their workspaces (ends Sat 4 June). Participating studios will display an orange ‘O’ outside, so you know you are welcome to pop in and say hi, though opening times vary, so check the catalogue before making a special visit.

New at the end of June is Sailing in the Bay at The Old Coastguard, Mousehole, a collection of works by Newlyn-based award-winning artist Vicki Norman. The exhibition (Thurs 27 June – Sat 22 July) will include images of coastal scenes all of which are for sale with a percentage of sales being donated to the Cornish Maritime Trust.

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!

Kurt Jackson The Cornish Seal Exhibition Jackson Foundation Gallery

Kurt Jackson’s The Cornish Seal is on in St Just (until 10 August). A normal, almost everyday experience for anyone who spends time on the Cornish coast, seals seem to pop up whenever we look out to sea; are they looking for us? “I decided to spend the last few years dedicating as much time as possible watching, studying and trying to understand them – their form and movement, their haunts and habits and in turn create a body of work inspired by them.” – Kurt Jackson.

At Penlee House in Penzance is a major exhibition of the Newlyn School artist Harold Harvey, 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.

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/

Also newly opened 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.’

GET OUTSIDE

Green fingered enthusiasts will love Tregrehan Garden Rare plant fair, Nr St Austell (Sun 2 June). Tucked into the head of St Austell Bay lies Cornwall’s Temperate Rainforest at Tregrehan. Protected by the hills behind, massive trees and parkland, sits a sheltered botanical oasis; one of Cornwall’s Great Gardens. 20 of the finest and most interesting specialist plant nurseries are booked in for the true plant enthusiasts. There is plenty of free parking and free entry to the plant fair itself plus reduced £5 entry to the lovely garden on the day.

Nominally a sailing regatta for classic boats (yours truly has raced in it) but also lots of fun to be had at the accompanying events, as well as watching the parade of sail at Falmouth Classics Week, (Fri 14 – Tues 18 June).

Don’t miss the ‘Waves of Wellness’ festival in partnership with London-based wellness consultancy, Oyogo, at Bedruthan Hotel at Mawgan Porth (Fri 14 – Sun 16 June) where the three-day creative escape promises to be an immersive weekend of wellness and holistic practice while connecting with the grounding Cornish coastline. Expert practitioners include surfer and environmentalist Sophie Hellyer, former international rugby player Anthony Mullally and yoga therapist and psychologist Dr Alicia Ray, as well as Muddy Awards photographer Frankie Thomas who is hosting photography workshops.

Running fans should already have TSUNAMI 24, (Sat 15 June) on their radar -the most rugged, wild and remote section of the North Devon and Cornish coastline is set for some extreme fun along the clifftops and cliff trails on the longest day of the year. Choose from TSUNAMI 24 (75 miles) or an Ultra (37.5 miles), Marathon, 16 mile or 7.5 mile race.

Make a weekend of it by heading over to Bude for the Shoreline Triathlon (Sun 16 June), an Open Water Sprint Triathlon along the coastline of beautiful North Cornwall. 500m sea swim, protected by the Bude breakwater, 11 mile cycle along coastal roads and 3 mile run along canal towpaths and country lanes.

Meanwhile cyclists will enjoy the Coast and Clay Sportive 2024 (Sat 30 June, starting and finishing in Padstow. The organised cycle by Cornwall Hospice Care has four route options – EXTREME – 104 MILES, EPIC – 73 MILES, CHALLENGE – 45 MILES and INSPIRE – 20 MILES. Use code HALFTERM15 for 15% off your registration fee this half term only

THEATRE / COMDEY

Miracle Theatre, Cornwall’s acclaimed production company, is celebrating its 45th anniversary and is launching a new summer show LOVE RIOT to celebrate. Kicking off at the end of May Miracle will be touring their longest outdoor summer show, at iconic locations across Cornwall and the south west with 60 dates over 12 weeks. Love Riot is a classic rom-com with a wild new heart, a vibrant reimagining of Hannah Cowley’s classic play, The Belle’s Stratagem, and audiences are transported to a world of scandal, matchmaking, and unexpected twists.

Peri-Meno…. What Now 2.0? is back at Penlee Park Theatre (Sat 8 June)– Nina was going through life quite nicely, thank you, when POW! Suddenly! she wasn’t! Fear and Anxiety crept into normal every day situations. Unexplainable rage at everything and everyone! Depression and weird sexual urges!! She thought she was losing her mind or at least being overtaken by aliens. So imagine her surprise when she was told that this was the Peri-menopause!! The Peri-meno… what now?? Little did she realise that this was ‘normal’ and part of the joys of growing old!! Join Nina on a hilarious journey through her symptoms, ways of coping and discussions of all things ‘lady parts’. Expect Comedy, song, rap and even a bit of contemporary dance – Peri 2.0 has elements of the original show with extra bits for both women and the men in their lives – so bring them along!

GET INSPIRED

Cornwall’s first ever aviation and aerospace festival, Reach for the Sky, is at RNAS Culdrose in Helston on Sat 22 June, organised by Truro based TECgirls. Free to attend for children, £10 for adults, Reach for the Sky is a unique festival in Cornwall that aims to provide girls with an enriching and immersive experience that opens their eyes to the opportunities that are available to them within the aviation and aerospace industry and inspires them to chase their dreams.

author AF Steadman meeting a child fan at a literary festival

A literary festival just for children is at St Austell Fri 28 – Sun 30 June. Tickets are just £1 and can be booked through Cornish Riviera Box Office. With over 25 children’s authors and illustrators hosting talks and workshops, including Katy Kirby, Rob Bidulph, Hannah Gold, Onjali Q. Rauf, and Louie Stowell, as well as patron AF Steadman (pictured), St Austell Children’s Literary Festival promises a variety of events catered to children aged 0-16.

BOOK AHEAD FOR

Duchy Opera at Park House, Sun 9 – Sat 10 July / Weds 12 – Thurs 13 July

This year enjoy Johann Strauss II’s rumbustious drunken tale of the shenanigans at a Viennese costume ball, Die Fledermaus. First nights on the 9th and 10th July are a relaxed affair with concessionary tickets for youngsters. 12th and 13th July are once again Black-Tie (not obligatory!) with a sit down Feast from award-winning Philleigh Way.

Summer fun incoming! 30+ things to do locally this June

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