Top Picks
Cornwall 365’s August Top Picks
We can't guarantee the sunshine but we can guarantee a scorcher of a month, filled with events, activities and cultural happenings!
We’ve rounded up our Top Picks of things to do, see and get involved with this August, from outdoor theatre to family friendly festivals and sitting down to dinner on a steam train! There’s plenty to keep everyone entertained – including the kids, who can go wild on their summer holidays. Read on to find out where to go and what to do in Cornwall this August.
1. Illyria: The Emperor's New Clothes
Bedruthan Hotel & Spa, Newquay
Wednesday 2nd August
Based on the timeless Hans Christian Andersen story, Illyria first performed this show in 2000 when it was Critic’s choice at the Edinburgh Fringe festival and attracted multiple 5-star reviews on a sellout UK tour.
All will be revealed in Illyria’s cheekiest ever show!
2. Evening dining on the Cornish Belle
Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Bodmin
Friday 4th August
Three courses served aboard the Cornish Belle steam train in First Class. Wine and dine in this alternative setting with excellent food and drink, together with first class dining service on a steam-hauled train. A unique and memorable experience!
3. Simon Birch Dance: Shoreline
Watergate Bay, Newquay; Praa Sands; Porthmeor, St Ives
Saturday 5th – Sunday 13th August
Shoreline explores our mysterious connection with the sea. It is amphibious – danced in the water, as well as on the sand and rocks, to live choral music. It is a metaphor for the storms we all endure, the moments of tranquillity we seek and the borders and boundaries we fear or dare to cross. Shoreline is an ode to the coastline, and all that it means to us.
4. Summer Island Disco
SurfHouse St.Ives
Saturday 5th August
A free family friendly festival at SurfHouse St.Ives, with live music, DJs, fresh food, bar & pop up creative and laughter yoga workshops! Placed on top of the iconic Island with panoramic views of the ocean, the Summer Island Disco will be one to remember!
5. Culture Camp
St Ives School of Painting and Leach Pottery, St Ives
Sundays throughout August
13-18 and like art? Then Culture Camp is for you!
Throw yourself into art every Sunday in August and have fun with St Ives School of Painting. Get painting, make ceramics with Leach Pottery, see an art exhibition, and get a Bronze Arts Award qualification using your phone app.
6. Bizarre Beachcombing Exhibition
The Centre of Pendeen
Wednesday 9th – Tuesday 15th August
Shipwrecks, mermaid’s tears, Lego, & all manner of strange things lost at sea and washed ashore on Cornish beaches. A fascinating display of artefacts, photographs, and archive film footage in this community heritage exhibition.
7. The Lost Gardens Summer Ball
The Lost Gardens of Heligan, St Austell
Saturday 12th – Saturday 19th August
Step into a wild and exciting story-world this summer.
When the Lost Gardens stirred from a lifelong sleep, the flowers woke first, and then the animals, and then the trees, and then the birds, and then, quite unexpectedly; another world woke as well! Let your imagination run wild in the Lost Gardens and find yourself in the Land of Fae!
8. Miracle Theatre's The Third Policeman
Roskilly’s Farm, St Keverne
Tuesday 15th August
This summer Miracle ventures into a world somewhere between Alice in Wonderland and the Marx Brothers, where the earth is not round but sausage-shaped and night is actually an accumulation of black air; where eccentric policemen fall in love with bicycles and you can visit eternity via a rickety lift, hidden in the heart of rural Ireland.
9. Sky Bar Polzeath
The Point at Polzeath
Thursday 17th – Saturday 19th August
SkyBar heads to Polzeath for the first time this summer. With three massive nights to choose from, SkyBar create the perfect après-sea vibe with a bespoke mix of awesome music, exclusive bars, excellent street food outlets and sumptuous surroundings.
10. Cornish Wild Food Camp Out
Mount Pleasant Eco Park, Porthtowan
Saturday 19th August
Enjoy an evening of freshly made delicious food, twilight nature and wildlife watching, moon or stargazing and music around the campfire.
Fresh Foraged Feast cooked by Matt Vernon over the campfire. Followed by luxurious hot chocolate and marshmallows, Music, stargazing and gathering around the campfire.
11. Hansel & Gretel
The Lost Gardens of Heligan, St Austell
Tuesday 22nd August – Saturday 2nd September
This Summer, Cscape Dance Company turn the twisting pathways at The Lost Gardens of Heligan into an evening of story-telling, dance, music, design and installation. Join them on a journey through the gardens, on this evocative, surprising and memorable experience for all the family. Prepare for darkness, light, magic and wonder… and maybe even a few ‘sweeties’ along the way!
12. Michael Chapman
The Poly, Falmouth
Thursday 24th August
The celebrated folk guitarist marks 50 years since his debut, having worked with the likes of Mick Ronson, Rick Kemp, Thurston Moore and many others.
13. Celebration of Cornish Food and Drink
Penlee Park Theatre, Penzance
Friday 25th August
The finest wine and cider from Polgoon Vineyard & Orchard, Cornish cheeses and charcuterie from Henry & Rachel at Coco and Cornish craft beers from Penzance’s Crown Brewery.
14. Camera Obscura workshops with Oliver Raymond-Barker
Kestle Barton, nr Helston
Sunday 27th August
A fun session enabling participants to learn about the origins of photography through making and using simple Camera Obscuras.
Explore the gardens, grounds and structures of Kestle Barton using the new cameras.
15. In Our Hands
Trebah Garden Amphitheatre, nr Falmouth
Wednesday 30th August
Using innovative puppetry, a striking set and an original score, join Alf as he journeys from the depths of despair to rise again and rescue the life he loves.
In Our Hands will transport you out to sea, under the ocean and onto the deck of the Catcher’s Fortune.
