MUDDY PICK OF THE MONTH

Heligan Night Garden - A Magical Winter Experience, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan, Fri 15 Nov - Sat 4 Jan

Heligan Night Garden – A Magical Winter Experience, Lost Gardens of Heligan, Pentewan (Fri 15 Nov – Sat 4 Jan) Back again for 2024, this beautiful trails builds on the new night-time route that was introduced last year. Journey through the magical garden trail, exploring woodlands and gardens beautifully lit with installations and lanterns. Discover breath-taking displays of fauna and flora as we celebrate the characters of the community, all illuminated within Heligan’s much-loved and iconic locations. The Liverpool Lantern Company’s illuminated installations at Heligan holds up a nocturnal magnifying glass to the often-overlooked wonders and beauty of nature on our doorstep. From badgers to fungi, bees to butterflies, and a joyful family of cheeky Tamworth pigs, this illuminated seasonal trail creates a treasure-filled space for families and friends to discover these beautiful indigenous species.

CULTURAL CELEBRATIONS

BONFIRE NIGHT & FIREWORKS, various Fri 1 – Tues 5 Nov, if you don’t fancy DIY-ing it this year with your own pack of pyrotechnics and a few measly sparklers from the local supermarket, how about heading out to one of the brilliant local bonfire nights across Cornwall?

The annual St Ives Shanty Shout, Sat 22 & Sun 23 Nov, has groups performing in venues including the Castle Inn, Golden Lion, Pilchard Press, Beer and Bird, Bier Huis Grand Cafe, The Western Hotel and The Sloop (Saturday only). The name comes from the Cornish tradition of singing sessions in pubs across the town.

FESTIVALS & WORKSHOPS

November is set to be a vibrant month in Newquay with the first Be Newquay Festival hitting the town with a brilliant bang. The festival comprises a series of unique events across every weekend in November, with a focus on creativity, comedy, music, wellbeing and culture – across a range of different businesses and town centre locations.

Pick and mix from an array of options – whether you fancy a dose of comic relief via the LOL-A-DAY Destination, an immersive theatre experience under moonlit skies or an evening of foot tapping live music.

Other elements include fun pottery workshops, seascape sketching classes, autumnal craft sessions for the whole family, creative writing workshops and Nordic spa evenings (or mornings!). All expertly curated to engage, inspire, and entertain locals and visitors of all ages in a myriad of ways.

Over in Falmouth on Sat 9 Nov Falmouth Art Gallery is holding a Fun Palace! event. A celebration of both art and science, showcasing the talents and ideas of our local community, Fun Palaces are all about hands-on learning and participation, with activities that everyone can enjoy, regardless of age or experience. Expect a wide variety of interactive workshops, creative stations, and demonstrations led by artists, scientists, and local organisations. From crafting and painting to environmental conservation and digital technology, there’s something for everyone to discover.

COMEDY

Maisie Adam's UK tour comedy show, "Appraisal" is coming to Launceston Town Hall, Tues 5 Nov.

Maisie Adam’s UK tour comedy show, “Appraisal” is coming to Launceston Town Hall, Tues 5 Nov.

It’s been a meteoric rise through through the comedy ranks for Maisie and she’s fast on her way to becoming a household name. Stand-up is what she loves most and she’s now five years into

her job as a comedian, so perhaps she’s due an appraisal. Appraisal will be the ultimate performance review, where we’ll see just why she was awarded Best New Act and nominated Best Newcomer…or, is she heading towards an “organisational restructure”?

GET OUTSIDE

The Jubilee Pool celebrates the end of a paw-some season in the cold pool with a dog day, with mutts-anticipated tickets selling quickly. It’s a day that people go barking mad for, and please fur-give (them) and me for the puns! This year’s event is on 3 November.

Cornwall’s biggest (and only!) outdoor ice-rink returned to the grounds of the Eden Project this October with plenty of space to practice your axels and spins. The cafe is serving up sweet treats too. Pre-booking online is essential, and you’ll need a locals pass or to pay to access Eden itself too.

ART & ART EXHIBITIONS

Kurt-Jackson-Trevider-Pool-tadpoles-move-the-water-catkins-float-on-the-surface-warblers-sing-in-the-willows-as-the-royal-ferns-unfurl-in-front-of-me-2024-mixed-media-on-wood-60-x-60cm

NEW

Flora: 150 Years of Environmental Change in Cornwall sees Kurt Jackson working in collaboration with Penlee House Gallery & Museum to stage an exhibition about the flora of West Cornwall (until January 11th 2025). This thought-provoking show sees Kurt’s work juxtaposed with Victorian depictions of Cornwall to demonstrate the impact of 150 years of environmental change on the region’s flora, fauna, habitats and human experience.

Malgorzata Mirga-Tas at Tate St Ives October 2024

Discover the vibrant textile works of Romani artist Małgorzata Mirga-Tas at Tate St Ives. Małgorzata Mirga-Tas is a Romani visual artist, educator and activist. Born in 1978, she lives and works in Czarna Góra, a village at the foot of the Tatra Mountains in southern Poland.

Mirga-Tas is known for her textile collages created with materials and fabrics that are mainly gathered from family and friends. Her visual storytelling comes from a feminist perspective and challenges stereotypical representations of Roma people. Often working in collaboration with other women, she sews pieces of clothing, handkerchiefs, tablecloths, curtains and sheets together to create vivid portraits and scenes from everyday life. Read our review here.

ONGOING

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.

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 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 – they’ll be in situ until Jan 2025!

Valency Valley, Kurt Jackson (Jackson Foundation Gallery, St Just until 22 Feb 2025). The three times Muddy Award winning gallery sees a return to his earliest artistic stomping ground, the Valency Valley, which meets the sea at Boscastle Harbour.

It was here that he cut his artistic teeth, and now, with 40 years of experience under his belt and the philosophy that ‘no man ever steps in the same river twice’, Jackson put nostalgia aside to paint the present and look to the future of a valley so formative in his journey.

FOODIE

Wine Supper with Bat & Bottle, The Gurnard’s Head, Zennor, Thurs 14 Nov – Head to the The Gurnard’s Head for this lovely sounding supper hosted by Ben Robson of Bat & Bottle . There will be an Italian themed menu and five courses. Starting at 7pm, £85pp.

Visit Isles of Scilly is partnering with the Great Cornish Food Store this month, on Thurs 14 and Fri 15 Nov, a selection of Scilly producers will be bringing their island produce over to the store in Truro, for two days and nights of ‘sips and samples’. From gin, rum and whiskey to ice cream, fudge and chilli condiments, each Scillonian will be on hand to talk through each product which will also be on sale, newly stocked in the store.

St Michaels Resort, Falmouth has been the proud sponsor of the Falmouth Oyster Festival for over twenty years – a tradition that runs deep in the local area. Sadly due to rising costs, it was announced that the festival was cancelled, but the team at St Michaels has confirmed that a community event will be held to fill the void at the resort. The weekend long event will celebrate the famed local delicacy, as well as the Falmouth community and will mark the beginning of the oyster dredging season this autumn, from Fri 15 – Sun 17 November 2024.

St Michaels’ Oyster Weekend will incorporate live music, foodie demonstrations from some of Cornwall’s best chefs including Jude Kereama, James Strawbridge, Hylton Espey and Rupert Cooper, a street-food style gourmet offering and the chance to meet local oystermen and learn about their craft. A standout event during the revelry will be an oyster shucking competition and the event at St Michaels Resort will be the perfect opportunity to welcome friends from far and wide to Falmouth. Entry will be free until 6pm, and thereafter tickets can be purchased on the door or in advance for a £2 contribution to a local, Cornish charity.

Autumnal gems don’t appear on The PIG menus for long so they are hosting a four-course game feast, with guests Scott Martin and Luca Dusi at The PIG at Harlyn Bay on Thurs 21 Nov. Scott from Duchy Game is their go-to expert in Cornwall for supplying wild, traceable Cornish game sourced under license from local Cornish Estates. In this special evening, you’ll enjoy four carefully curated game courses supplied by Scott – think tender Rabbit & Pigeon Breast Terrine with Preserved Currants & Homemade Sourdough, followed by juicy Loin of Venison with Artichoke Puree & Garden Greens served with Braised Shoulder Gratin & Ruby Port Sauce.

Also on Thurs 21 Nov is Bobby’s Taste of Cornwall, The Greenbank, Falmouth, an expertly crafted and curated tantalising six course menu priced at £69 per person. Upgrade to the carefully crafted wine flight at an additional £30 per person, and to book, please email alisha.hancock@greenbank-hotel.co.uk.

Jeremy Lee is the Chef Proprietor of Quo Vadis, Soho & wrote the awesome “COOKING, Simply & Well”, and is heading back once again to Coombeshead Farm for an entire day of cooking – tables still available for lunch, and make a night of it by staying over too. Sun 24 Nov, £65 per person, first tables available at 12pm, with last tables at 5pm.

ONE-OFF EVENTS

Head to The Alverton in Truro for their RMS Titanic Murder Mystery Evening (Fri 8 Nov, £60) Dress the part and head back in time for a deadly dinner party aboard the RMS Titanic.

Head to The Alverton in Truro for their RMS Titanic Murder Mystery Evening (Fri 8 Nov, £60) Dress the part and head back in time for a deadly dinner party aboard the RMS Titanic.

Cornwall Garden Society’s November lectures will be delivered by Alex Goodyear, Head Gardener at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens, the renowned horticultural attraction and one of the Great Gardens of Cornwall, which provides an exotic backdrop to sculptures by prestigious artists and is situated in a stunning sheltered valley with a spectacular view of St Michael’s Mount.

Alex undertook a three-month bursary internship at Babylonstoren in South Africa, the sister estate to The Newt in Somerset, and the newly opened The Story of Emily in St Ive, Liskeard.

Alex’s lectures will recap on his incredible experience in the Western Cape, looking closely at the many gardens he visited and at the botanical highlights he encountered whilst exploring this bio-diverse hotspot. Gardens and Plants of the Western Cape will be Alex’s subject on Tues 12 Nov at 7.30pm at The Alverton in Truro and on Weds 13 Nov at 2.30pm at St Mellion International Resort in Saltash. These lectures are free for CGS members. Non-members are welcome to attend to find out more about the Society and donations are gratefully received.

For the last ten years the Eden Project has hosted an annual Sleep Out outside the Biomes and the events have raised thousands of pounds for two charities, St Petrocs and the Amber Foundation.

Last year, around 85 participants took part on a chilly night at Eden and raised £13,000 for the two charities. Since the first Eden Sleep Out in 2014, hundreds of participants have taken on the challenge and slept outside for the night to show solidarity with those who are affected by homelessness. In that time, more than £100,000 has been raised for these crucial charities. Tickets cost £25 for this year’s event, which is on Thurs 14 Nov.

FESTIVE – CHRISTMAS MARKETS

See the full feature but highlights include the annual Christmas Craft Fayre, Bedruthan Hotel, (Sat 23 – Sun 24 Nov). Get the free park and ride from Mawgan Porth beach car park and enjoy a host of seasonal workshops and browse stalls from the most talented craftspeople and artisan makers from around the South West. Christmas shopping and self-gifting opportunities galore! Also The Cornwall Christmas Fair, Eden Project (Weds 27 – Thurs 28 Nov)

BOOK AHEAD FOR

These festive grottos and more might be in December but you’ll need to book ahead to get tickets – check out our guide to where to see Santa in Cornwall here.

What’s On? Your guide to Cornwall in November

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