Late Summer Festivals in Cornwall – Come on Down, the Music is Great!
Come on Down, the Music is Great!
Cornwall is fast becoming known as the place to be for its late summer live music festivals. From Relentless Boardmasters, St Ives September and Bude Jazz Festivals to the brand new Making Waves Music Festival at Looe, what better excuse could there be to head west for a short break… or indeed a longer break to take in one or more of these amazing events.
Relentless Energy Drink Boardmasters in Association with Vans, the UK’s biggest surf, skate and music festival returns to Newquay from 10th to 14th August. Watergate Bay is the venue for the legendary two day music festival which hosts a fantastic line up with Fatboy Slim and The Klaxons headlining the main stages, plus Bombay Bicycle Club, Eliza Doolittle, Zane Lowe, Stereo MC’s and Lethal Bizzle amongst others. Catch one of the evening Beach Sessions at Fistral on 10th, 11th and 14th August with Newton Faulkner headlining, also featuring We Are The Ocean, Deaf Havana and Dub Pistols. Listen to new and established acts in overlooking the ocean as the sun goes down.
St Ives has hosted its annual music and arts festival in September since 1978. The festival provides 15 days of entertainment at eight different locations throughout this picturesque destination with live music, arts workshops and exhibitions, theatre, comedy, films, cabaret, street entertainment and walks are all featured in this gem of a festival. Seth Lakeman, widely regarded as the UK’s foremost folk singer songwriter, headlines this year. Other highlights include Show of Hands & Adrian Edmondson and the Bad Shepherds, Brodsky Quartet & Jacqui Dankworth, the multi platinum, gold and silver album singer Barbara Dickson with Sean Taylor, Martin Simpson, Mark Thomas and John and the great John Etheridge and young songwriter Johnny Flinn. The programme is so packed full of amazing artists it is difficult to name only a few.
Looe will be Making Waves in 2011 with the first Looe Music Festival, from the 23rd to 25th September, billed as the biggest thing to hit Looe this year! Looe pubs take each other on in a tug-o-war competition and of course music and entertainment to suit all. This brand new festival will get audiences thronging to music of every genre, with local, national and international performers wowing audiences over three days. Making Waves will be hosted at three main venues in Looe; the beach, harbour side and town centre, each with its own distinct atmosphere. Over 30 acts are confirmed to date, and counting, plus even more bands at additional soundstages in local pubs and clubs throughout the weekend. Highlights include From the Jam, Adrian Edmondson and The Bad Shepherds, Roy Wood and his Rock & Roll Band, Phantom Limb, Jessica Sweetman and Seize the Day. Although the festival is headlined by From the Jam, Ade Edmondson (of Young Ones, Bottom and Dance for Comic Relief fame) and the Bad Shepherds, Roy Wood and his Rock and Roll and The Selecter featuring Pauline Black, 90% of the bands performing are either from Looe, the surrounding area and Cornwall.
Press officer Edwina Hannaford said, “ Although it’s quite a coup to have three chart topping groups in Looe, we want to ensure we showcase the best of local bands and musicians there are from in and around Looe and Cornwall. There is so much home-grown talent in Cornwall and this offers them a chance to perform in front of a large audience on a professional stage on their home turf.”
Bude Jazz Festival is a week long festival celebrating the early years of jazz, featuring some of the top UK and international musicians, the festival bubbles over with a carnival atmosphere of music, fun, dance and colour. The 2011 festival runs from 27th August to 2nd September. This year’s headline act is the famous Blues Band featuring Paul Jones (of Manfred Mann fame), Rob Townsend, Dave Kelly, Gary Fletcher and Tom McGuiness. The whole of this seaside town resounds to infectious jazz rhythms which take to the streets in this long established festival. A major event in the jazz world, this festival is celebrating 24 years and has a line up to please every jazz fan. The festival offers over 100 indoor gigs, New Orleans street parades, dance marquee and workshops, street buskers and late night jam sessions.
Malcolm Bell, Head of Tourism at VisitCornwall, the Cornwall Development Company’s tourism service comments: “Cornwall has always had a great tradition for hosting festivals and events and its growing reputation as a fantastic venue means it now regularly attracts top musical acts and sporting events. These events play an important role in enhancing the visitor experience which increases overall customer satisfaction and boost repeat visits”
VisitCornwall are offering pairs of tickets for each of the fabulous four festivals featured above, see the ‘win’ page on the I Love Cornwall website www.ilovecornwall.com. For a full listing of events in Cornwall and inspiration
for where to stay and things to do and see in Cornwall see www.visitcornwall.com.
