Top Picks
Look out for these St. Piran’s Day Celebrations
Gool Peran Lowen!
St Piran's Day is fast approaching, here's a list of our top picks for this year's celebrations.
For anyone that is unfamiliar with why we celebrate St. Piran’s Day, here is a brief capture of the story.
St Piran’s Day is the annual celebration of Saint Piran, or ‘Peran’ as he is also known. Legend suggests that St Piran was thrown to sea attached to millstone and managed to float safely over the water from Ireland to land upon the sandy beach of Perranzabuloe. It was here that Saint Piran built his oratory whose remains can still be seen today, submerged in sand.
St Piran is also famed for his discovery of the precious metal tin. The Cornish flag is commonly associated with Saint Piran as it shows white cross on a black background and is said to depict the saint’s discovery of tin ‘the white metal’ flowing from the black Cornish rocks.
How are you celebrating St Piran’s Day? Read on for our top picks!
1. St Piran Festival
Sun 1st – Sun 8th March
Newquay
Week long festival celebrating Cornish Heritage. Activities include: live music, Cornish language taster classes, golf event, beer & gin event, a parade, bingo, concerts, BAIT screening, talks, Ceilidh, and a special Church service. There are multiple events happening each day, so visit the listing to plan your week!
2. Cornish Quiz Night
Tue 3rd March
Grapes Alehouse, Falmouth
From Poldark to the Poly, this promises to be a quiz night packed full of Cornish heritage in honour of St Piran’s Day.
Raise the Cornish flag and test your knowledge of all things Cornwall in honour of Saint Piran’s Day with a chance of earning the Trivia Champs title! Entry to this event is only £1 per person, welcoming teams of any size (and any IQ) wanting to celebrate some good ole Cornish heritage.
3. St Piran's Day Cornish Folk Festival
Thu 5th March
The Alverton, Truro
What better way to celebrate St Piran’s Day in the Cornish capital, surrounded by local talents, ‘ansome ales and much-loved delicacies including piping hot pasties and hearty saffron buns. Experience the mind-blowing acoustics in The Great Hall and take part in the Trelawny Shout.
On Thursday 5th March, Cornish folk singer-songwriter and member of the popular group The Oggymen, Will Keating will be gathering some extra-special guests, including internationally renowned Cornish duo Davey & Dyer, and world-renowned Banjo player John Dowling, for an inspiring and uplifting ensemble of talented musicians embracing the Kernow spirit.
Your ticket includes entry to the concert, a free pint on arrival from official sponsors Sharp’s Brewery and a tasty pasty to munch on during the interval.
4. St Pirans Day Celebrations at Tywarnhayle Inn
Thu 5th March
Tywarnhayle Inn. Perranporth
Join The Bryher’s Boys & Local Vocalz from 8pm for a unique mix of Traditional Songs, Shanties and shaggy dog stories! Come tune up your voices to join in the Trelawny Shout too at 9pm.
There will also be a Cornish Specials Board available from Midday until 9.00pm, including Star Gazey Pie.
5. St Piran's Day Parade
Thu 5th March
Falmouth
The celebrations will begin with a parade that will leave from the Moor at 10am, before moving through Webber Street, High Street, Brewery Yard, Prince of Wales Pier where community dance for everyone to join will be performed. Then the parade will walk through town to Church Corner where the story of St Piran will be told and Trelawny will be sung, the first verse in kernewek by the children of Marlborough School.
The parade will be finished off with a lunchtime Cornish recital in the Parish Church featuring the Brass Band, Recorder Consort, Mrs Keam’s poetry and Michael White leading singing.
6. BAIT
Thu 5th March
Polgooth Village Hall, St Austell
What better way to celebrate St Piran’s Day than with a screening of the BAFTA winning BAIT.
Modern-day Cornish fisherman Martin (Edward Rowe) is struggling to buy a boat while coping with family rivalry and the influx of London money, Airbnb and stag parties to his harbour village. The summer season brings simmering tensions between the locals and newcomers to boiling point, with tragic consequences.
Stunningly shot on a vintage 16mm camera using monochrome Kodak stock, Mark Jenkin’s Bait is a timely and funny, yet poignant new film that gets to the heart of a community facing unwelcome change.
7. Trelawny Shout
Thu 5th March
Cornwall, Various Pubs!
A mass community singing of the Cornish anthem, Trelawny, every St Piran’s Day. This year they are aiming for 20,000 voices to join in song (you know the reason why!). Take part at any time, from dawn until dusk, just find a venue near you.
8. Proper Cornish Tea
Thu 5th March
St Buryan Village Hall, Penzance
Pay tribute to the patron Saint of Cornwall with some proper Cornish cream and a classic Cornish scone. This year, St Buryan Old Cornwall Society are hosting a ‘Proper Cornish Tea’ on St. Piran’s Day, join them at 3pm in St Buryan Village Hall.
Cornish Pasties, Splits with jam and cream, Saffron and Heavy (Hevva) cake all served with tea or coffee. The raffle prizes will all be ‘Proper Cornish’ too!
9. Bodmin St Piran Celebration
Thu 5th March
Bodmin
A morning of celebrations in Bodmin. The parade will begin at the Library at 11am, followed by a presentation and lunch in St Petroc’s Church for local children.
10. St Piran's Night at the Cathedral
Fri 6th March
Truro Cathedral, Truro
(Now Sold Out)
Situated in Truro Cathedral, this is a St Piran themed fundraising evening for the Royal Cornwall Hospitals Trust (RCHT) Charity and Butterfly Cornwall.
This is a rare opportunity for you all to have ‘A St Piran’s Night at the Cathedral’ with a fantastic fully stocked bar by the iconic Skinner’s Brewery, to be royally entertained with renowned and rowdy jump jive band Company B and Cornish sea shanty singing group ‘Hit and Miss’. In another first, there is also silent disco if you fancy shimmying up and down and in and out at top volume without disturbing a soul around you.
Feast on the famous Ann’s pasties and saffron buns, all available to buy inside the Cathedral and indulge at our amazing Skinner’s Bar.
11. St Piran's Festival
Sat 7th March
Redruth
Celebrate your Cornish heritage and fly the Cornish flag with pride in Redruth. Events include: Local choirs, heritage tours with Cobweb Tours, vintage & classic cars, a parade, treasure hunt and special talks. A classic bus will be transporting people around the town to experience all of the different happening in style!
12. St Piran Nos Lowen
Sat 7th March
Old Bakery Studios, Truro
Celebrate St Piran with live music by SKILLYWIDDEN, leading lights of the nos lowen style of Cornish Celtic dance music.
Born out of the legendary Dalla, internationally acclaimed champions of Cornish music for nearly twenty years, Skillywidden are renowned for whipping up wild nights of Cornish dancing.
The line-up includes members of Dalla, as well as special guests drawn from the cream of Cornish musical talent, both from the world of traditional Cornish music, and from other genres too. This event is suitable for all ages, with under 5s coming free.
13. St Piran Celebration
Sat 7th March
St Austell
From 9am there will be Cornish music, local arts and craft stalls, raffle, children’s card making, flag making, guess the name of the teddy bear, Cornish language corner, local Cornish and heritage groups, tea & cake available too.
At 1.30pm there will be singing and music outside White River Place, with a parade of troubadours setting off from Unit K for a parade around town.
14. St Piran's Event
Sun 8th March
Newquay Zoo, Newquay
At Newquay Zoo comes an event that is jam packed with a wide range of activities. Join us in celebrating all things Cornish by…
Putting your throwing skills to the test in our pasty throwing competition, treating yourself to some Cornish treats including pasties and scones in Café Lemur, watching our animals go wild over some Cornish themed enrichment and much MUCH more!
To book your tickets visit the Newquay Zoo website.