Forget Glastonbury. Beccy Matthews looks forward to the festivities that will get Cornwall rocking this summer.
It's that time of year again. The evenings are long, Cornish streets are robed in colour, the atmosphere touches you like the warmth of the sun as local people pick up the baton of tradition once more.
Incredibly, it has been fifteen years since Penzance's Feast of John (Golowan) was reborn. Reviving customs not seen for one hundred years, the festival goes from strength to strength and this year's events promise to be better than ever. Running from 18th to 26th June, there is an eclectic blend of entertainment to look forward to.
You can expect the usual traditions, the election of the mock mayor, the firework display from the Jubilee Pool and the processions around the town led by the Golowan band, playing yes - that tune. As ever, Golowan offers plenty of new and appealing attractions that will keep people of all ages and tastes entertained.
In celebration of our rich culture, there will be the Great Golowan Pasty Challenge, Cornish music and dance, as well as a series of inspiring talks. If you fancy a hair-raising night out (no, I'm not talking about the Barn Club), you can head on a special Golowan ghost tour, taking you to the haunts of the pirates and smugglers of the town. Find out what's making a buzz in the Cornish film industry by going to Collywood Nights where the best in Cornish and Celtic films will be screened.
The presence of our continental cousins will be felt at Alma, a luscious visual spectacle of Flamenco dance and music bursting with life, energy and colour. Mazaika, a unique marriage of violin, accordion and voice, offers a broad programme of evocative Gypsy, Neopolitan and Argentinean music. The awe-inspiring Toto La Momposina from Columbia will bring her phenomenal vocals and the rhythm of Latin America to Cornish shores.
Penwith isn't the only place to be reeling in the midsummer celebrations. The Celtic Midsummer Burning Spectacular takes place at Colliford Lake Park on Bodmin Moor over the weekend of 18th and 19th June. Fantastic live music, fireworks, sculptures, a huge bonfire and family entertainment are just some of the spectacles on offer during the two-day event.
Loonaloop, an Australian electronic dance band, headline on Saturday. Playing a number of styles including drum and bass, trance and world beats, Loonaloop are known for their hypnotic, high-energy live performances which will keep feet moving on the dance floor. The Blockheads will perform on Sunday with support from local bands including Goldenburn, Emily, Mende and Turning Green. Keeping the bass grooves, watertight saxophone and famous Blockhead gang vocals alive in the absence of Dury, The Blockheads promise to make the celebrations go off with a bang.
With the illumination of abstract sculptures, the burning of a huge elaborate bonfire as the sun goes down and a firework display, the festival promises to be an enchanting experience.
Magical, uplifting, insightful and mesmerising, what better reason do you need to indulge in a bit of midsummer merriment? Go on, it would make our forefathers proud.
More information on the events can be found at:
Golowan 01736 332211
www.golowan.com
North Cornwall Arts 01840 214220
www.ncarts.org.uk For camping inquiries contact Colliford Lake Park 01208 850051 Stepping on down to Cornish shores
The Happy Mondays will be bringing a taste of Manchester to the county this summer when they headline Cornwall's own surf rock concert, the K Festival. As one of Britain's most eccentric bands, the K Festival might be a party The Happy Mondays actually remember when they play the stage overlooking the ocean at St Minver, near Polzeath on the 23rd July.
Making its presence on the UK summer festival circuit felt, the K Festival (yes, the K stands for Kernow) looks set to be the ultimate Cornish rock festival, located in an appropriately dramatic setting. The event will be preceded by the Animal Beach Ball which fires up on Newquay's Fistral Beach on 15th, 16th and 17th July and then heads onto Tristram Cliffs at Polzeath for 21st, 22nd and 23rd July.
The K Festival offers varied and wonderful support from some fantastic acts including The Black Velvets, The Spartans, Rumpus and Martin Harley. And it wouldn't be a Cornish festival without some local talent, which comes in the shape of The Wire Daisies and Easykill, while the county's leading dance act, Jellyjazz, will have festival goers dancing with their infectious fusion of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.
Last year's surf rock party will evolve into a fully fledged festival this year, promising twelve hours of continuous music over two sound stages and a campsite for those of you who can't drag yourself away from the music, surf and entertainment on offer.
Tickets will cost £35 for entry only and £45 for a K-Festival Weekender package. The Weekender includes two nights camping on the nearby campsite and further entertainment for the Friday night and Saturday daytime will be announced shortly.
Tickets can be purchased from
www.thekfestival.com or by calling 0870 708 0003.