Skipper Festival

Boats, Music, Rum, Workshops: A Free Summer Celebration in Charlestown Harbour.

The Skipper Festival is a brand new late-summer celebration of harbour life, coastal culture and good company, taking place at Charlestown Harbour over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Entry is free!

Set against the backdrop of one of Britain’s most iconic historic harbours, the festival will bring together visiting boats, two afternoons of live music, watersports, food & drink and family-friendly activities for a relaxed weekend by the sea.

Expect harbour-side music, visiting vessels, rum, cider and spritz bars, opportunities to get out on the water, and a programme of activities celebrating Charlestown’s unique maritime character.

At the heart of the festival is a simple idea: bringing people together to enjoy the best of summer on the Cornish coast. From sailors and sea lovers to families, visitors and locals, everyone is welcome.

Community Sail Mural – help us create a special piece of artwork for Charlestown Harbour. Join in with painting a large sail throughout the weekend as we create a collaborative festival mural.

Explore stalls and activities around the harbour from our regular pop-ups and festival guests, including the RNLI, NCI Coastwatch, Classic Sailing and Cornwall Wildlife Trust.

Charlestown Watersports will be getting people out on the water throughout the weekend, with activities including paddleboarding and water polo.

Little Skippers Trail, a harbour adventure for younger festival-goers. Pick up your trail from Smugglers Bar, follow the clues around the harbour and see if you can find the treasure.
£2 per trail.

Watch traditional skills in action as the Cornish Blacksmiths fire up their pop-up forge in the inner harbour. Live demonstrations 1–4pm on Saturday and Sunday.

Boats will be joining us in the harbour for the weekend, adding plenty of sails, colour and maritime character to the festival. Keep an eye out for visiting vessels around the inner harbour and our Best Dressed Vessel competition.