The annual St Ives September Festival will burst into life on Saturday (Sept 9) with more than 80 performers taking part in its biggest-ever programme of street entertainment.
The line-up includes Lanner Silver Band, Shallal Puppets, Pensans Morris, Hevva Cornish Dance, shanty singers Cork an Barbor and the return of Hayle’s Ukuhayles band and singing duo This Way Up.
The Mayor of St Ives Councillor Johnnie Wells said: “I am really looking forward to being able to welcome everyone once again to St Ives and the September Festival, made possible year after year by a dedicated band of volunteers and organisers who make this great event happen.”
The 15-day Festival of music and arts will once again bring a galaxy of star names, a glittering array of local performers and a wide-ranging selection of arts events to the town.
West Country “folk royalty” Show Of Hands had sold out The Guildhall weeks ago with soul/pop legends The Three Degrees – once hailed as his “favourite group” by the then Prince Charles - set to follow.
Other Guildhall attractions include rhythm and blues band Nine Below Zero, BBC Folk Award winners Kathryn Tickell with The Darkening, and Jackie Oates with world-travelled Irish singer-songwriter Luka Bloom appearing in Cornwall for the first time.
Tributes to some of music’s legends see Cornwall’s Good Old Fashioned Lover Boys return with their Queen Live show after selling out The Guildhall last year, and The Bowie Lounge back with a Space Face production 10 years after launching their first show at the Festival St Ives Jazz Club present Will Collier’s Chet Baker Project and Dean Stockdale’s Celebrating Oscar, a homage to the music of Oscar Peterson at the Western Hotel.
Providing the laughs will be Gary Delaney, star of Live at The Apollo, at The Guildhall and Cornish funny-man Johnny Cowling at St Ia Parish Church.
The big-name at St Ia is multi-award winning Irish singer Cara Dillon while Bryher’s Boys drop anchor to launch the programme there on Saturday night.
American country singer, musician and flat-foot dancer Martha Spencer, from Virginia, returns to the Western for the first time since 2018 after previously appearing with her family’s White Top Mountain Band.
St Ives Arts Club, Porthmeor Studios, Penwith Gallery and Café Art provide an extensive selection of music, films and talks with demonstrations and workshops at various venues throughout the fortnight.
There will be three special showings, starting at the Royal Cinema, of Cornwall-made film Zennor Spirit of Place with Q&A sessions with its St Ives author Bob Osborne and Newlyn-based film-maker Diana Taylor.
It explores personal and political dramas following the arrival of D H Lawrence in Zennor during World War One with a backdrop of witchcraft, scandalous sexual intrigue, black magic rituals and Nazi spy rings.
Porthmeor Studios’ films include the first St Ives screening of Lubaina Himid CBE in Porthmeor Studio 5, shot there with the Turner Prize-winning artist.
Open Studios features 30 artists welcoming visitors to their galleries while bargains are on offer at St Ives Rotary’s annual Spot The Artist charity sale and St Ives Society of Artists’ Square Deal sale.
For those wishing to take part traditional open-air lunchtime poetry and music sessions return to Norway Square every day of the Festival along with three Saturday afternoon marathon music sessions upstairs at The Western.
Full information at www.stivesseptemberfestival.co.uk
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