All corners of Cornwall are packed with things to do this May Half Term Holiday (27th-31st), giving visitors a spoilsome array of activities and entertainment, whatever the weather and wherever you’re staying.
From festivals and foodie events to a huge host of outdoor activities and family centred fun, a variety of incredible memories are waiting to be made during your May stay in Cornwall.
Family-friendly days out…
Treat the whole family, including those with four paws, with a visit to the Port Eliot Dog Festival (25th May), where highlights including stalls, entertainment, family dog show and agility course, and fur-friendly finale, Roo’s Whippet Tea Party will enthral all in attendance.
Catch TV personalities Dick V Dom at the Eden Project (25th May – 1st June), who will be taking up residency at the iconic attraction as they stage a daily live show in their unique comedic style, while a series of activities will also form part of the day’s uber fun shenanigans.
Or why not combine the outdoors with some theatrical adventures with David Walliams’ ‘Gangsta Granny’ at Penzance’s Penlee Park Theatre (27th May), which will be performed with gusto by Heartbreak Theatre (food available, book in advance); and at Trebah Garden in Falmouth – who will stage ‘Illyria: Alibaba & the Forty Thieves’ (30th May)?
For anyone fancying a stint of dress-up, try the National Trust Trerice in Newquay for their Tudor Costume Day (27th May); while crafty kids will relish Tile Our Toilets at Wheal Martyn (until 28th May), Truro Cathedral’s free schedule of arty happenings (28th May), and Falmouth Art Gallery’s Family Art Workshops (28th May-1st June).
And don’t miss Circus Skills Week at Flambards (25th May-2nd June) for an exhilarating daily dose of live shows and interactive workshop sessions.
A spot of culture…
Pairing poets for this year’s ‘One Day in May’ event, the Bodmin Moor Poetry Festival (25th May) will see conversations and readings between two poets, including Rae Armantrout and Rachael Allen, along with other enticing events including mingling with the poets during community feasting courtesy of festival chef, Genevieve Frosch.
Returning for its third year of character-filled garden fête fun, Scorrier House’s Great Estate Festival (31st May – 2nd June) presents a sensory-packed programme of burlesque, cabaret, Mexican wrestling and Victorian sports events during the three-day food, music and art extravaganza.
Meanwhile, Open Studios will unveil creative spaces the county over (25th May-2nd June), and a series of exhibitions can be viewed including Penlee Gallery’s ‘Artists by Themselves’ (until 8th June), ‘Invisible Narratives’ at Newlyn Art Gallery (until 15th June), ‘Library of Plants’ at The Exchange (11th May-15th June) and ‘In Our Element’ at St Ives’ Penwith Gallery (17th May-15th June).
Outdoor adventures…
Porthilly Spirit (24th-26th May) is a brand new three-day event focussing on food, wellbeing, music and the outdoors at one of north Cornwall’s most beautifully secluded locales of Rock. Enjoy music from Tom Odell and Gilles Peterson along with food from Tomos Parry and Anna Jones, along with an eclectic host of family activities, wellbeing classes, talks, workshops and feasts at what promises to be a unique and not-to-be-missed annual event in Cornwall’s calendar.
Then there’s Garden Magic on the Mount (27th – 31st May), incorporating botany and art at Penzance’s famous island landmark of St Michael’s Mount (combine with St Michael’s Mount Rockpool Explorer, 26th May-2nd June); and the Bug and Butterfly Quest at Paradise Park (25th May – 2nd June), which will give visitors to the attraction a fascinating insight into the world of insects, as well as affording access the park’s other playtime features.
Or pay a well-timed visit to Mount Pleasant Ecological Park for their brilliant (and free) Wilder Festival (26th May) for wildlife workshops and advice, foraging and feasting, street food, live music, wild art, forest schools and the animals from Feadon Farm Wildlife Centre. Dress up as an insect or woodland/marine animal and bring your picnic rug for extra alfresco fun.
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