Devon & Cornwall offer a year-round calendar of fantastic events and festivals to suit all ages and tastes. We’ll help you make the most of your time when holidaying in the south west of England.
Cornwall’s Fal River Festival packs in 150 events to entertain and amuse visitors of all ages. This not-for-profit community festival is organized by Truro and Penwith College and includes water-themed events including films on the ferry after dark!
Discover more fun events in our overview article which details fishing, boating and swimming competitions, drama, music, workshops, theatre and more.
If you are wondering how to occupy youngsters during May half-term, Arlington Court offers a cheap and fun-filled day out with their May-hem Half Term Madness event. It includes building a den and plenty of crafts as well as the extensive woodlands.
We outline some of the great family activities on offer for those planning a visit to this splendid National Trust estate and carriage museum.
In the true spirit of a proper walking festival, the North Devon and Exmoor Spring Walking Festival is an itinerant celebration offering a choice of guided walks for all levels and hosted by four towns on the North Devon coast.
If you love walking and want to enjoy some beautiful scenery in the company of other walkers, read on to learn what the Exmoor Walking Festival is all about.
The University city of Exeter really lets its hair down the last weekend in April each year when it hosts the Exeter Food and Drink Festival. The Northernhay Gardens are an ideal venue for hosting dozens of food and drink stands and theatre kitchens.
The nightly Festival After Dark Party in Exeter Castle has music, bars and pop-up restaurants, so read on to learn more before booking your ticket.
Each April Kingsley Village Shopping Outlet near Fraddon hosts the fabulous Cornwall Home Show. It not only has dozens of home and garden exhibitors but also focuses on renewable energy sources and sustainable living solutions.
Discover what makes this show so popular, and read about the regular shops, outlets, crafts and regional foods that are on sale here throughout the year.
Calling all keen walkers and hikers! Why not head down to Cornwall in late April 2013 and be part of the Great South West Walk? This fundraising relay of sponsored walks is celebrating the 40th anniversary of the South West Coast Path Association.
Read all about the event in this fascinating article, which also looks at the history of how the South West Coast Path first came into being.
April 23rd is St George’s Day, a national day celebrating the dragon-slaying patron saint of England. Castle Drogo is hosting a special St Georges Day Lunch for visitors to this quintessential English Castle, now managed by the National Trust.
Learn more about Castle Drogo in this colourful article, and consider booking a reservation for lunch on St Georges Day, wearing a red rose in your buttonhole!
Some of the best rhododendrons, magnolias and camellias will be on display at the RHS National Rhododendron Show at Rosemoor. This colourful annual show attracts garden lovers and growers from all over the UK to this bloomin’ marvellous event.
Get a taste for what’s happening at this April event near Great Torrington with our informative article, then book your tickets for a weekend to remember!
8 Days and 8 Ways to Experience the Arts. That’s the challenge of Art8Newuqay as it hosts over 50 events and exhibitions across Newquay. Live music, drama, dance, writing, art, photography, design and crafts are featured along with local workshops.
Read on to discover more about the Art8 Newquay Festival of Arts and Culture. There’s also a competition to win £500 and produce a work of art for the event.
Obstacle races are one of the fastest growing sports in the UK, and Devon’s challenging 10km Rock Solid Race takes place in the normally serene estate of Escot Park. Attend solo, as a team or just go and cheer on the runners!
If you believe in working hard and playing harder you owe it to yourself to discover whether this race of endurance and fitness is the event for you!
If you want some brownie points for Mother’s Day, how about taking Mum to the National Trust property of Trerice? The Mother’s Day Posy Making Workshop provides the perfect gift, before devouring a cream tea in the rustic restaurant.
Discover just how unique this Tudor house and gardens are with this informative article, and don’t miss playing “Kayles” and visiting the Lawnmower Museum!
The Vital Spark Festival in Liskeard hits the streets for the first two weeks of March, but events and workshops start well before that, inspiring locals to discover their latent creative talents or hone their existing artistic skills.
The theme for 2013 is Walking in Stile/Style and as you will see below, the festival includes concerts, group walks over stiles and a stylish Art Exhibition.
If you were told that you will be spending a few hours with Sleeping Giants, there is no doubt that your mind will start to work overtime. Don’t worry though; these giants are in fact trees in the picturesque Danescombe Valley in Cornwall and you will be taught exactly how to tell them apart from each other.
The Sleeping Giant’s day will appeal to a wide range of people. Bear in mind though that if you are not really a nature lover you can always relive a scene which will make the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end…
A symposium on Roman Exeter which takes place at Exeter museum, believe it or not, is absolutely fascinating and you don’t have to be one of the locals to get a great deal out of it. It’s even better if you take advantage of your new found knowledge and take a walk around the city afterwards, it will never look the same to you again!
There is much more to this fascinating museum than the Symposium on Roman Exeter and if you time your visit right there will be lots more that you can see and do during the day.
A Tintagel Castle tour should be on everyone’s ‘to do’ list due to the fact that the stories behind the castle can only be described as being magical. There is definitely a feeling about the place that allows your imagination to run wild and the views from the castle itself are nothing short of breath taking!
As if a Tintagel Castle tour wasn’t enough, it is now possible to enjoy an exclusive tour of the castle without paying a penny. Bypass the crowds and tread in the path of King Arthur with your money very firmly in your pocket!
The Pendennis Castle Ghost Hunt is not one of those gimmicky occasions whereby volunteers get dressed up in order to scare the life out of you. This ghost hunt is taken extremely seriously so be prepared to witness things that are very much out of the ordinary, if you dare!
If you are prepared to walk the walk instead of talking the talk, the Pendennis Castle Ghost Hunt will most definitely separate the men from the boys. The big question is though, are you prepared to accept some of the scariest things that you are ever likely to see?
If you are looking for something to do which is just a little different, the Dartmouth Castle family ghost tour could be just up your street. As long as the children are at least eight years old and prepared to jump out of their skins every now and again, it really will be a great night.
There is much more to the Dartmouth Castle family ghost tour than meets the eye though with other things to do which will really make this a night to remember, with even a discount if you know where to look!
The thought of a sleepover at somewhere like Pendennis Castle in Falmouth is the stuff that dreams are made of. Add some scary stories shared around the open fire to the mix and you will have a night that will stay in the memory for a very long time. Let’s just hope though that the only spirits that you encounter is a stiff brandy or two before bedtime!
At first sight it may seem like an expensive evening but when everything is taken into account you will see that a family sleepover at Pendennis Castle offers extraordinary good value for money.
The Exeter LOL Festival is surely just what the doctor ordered to lift everyone out of the post-Christmas gloom. Some of the most talented comedians in the country converge on the city with the sole intention of making everyone laugh out loud and that has to be a good thing, don’t you agree?
The Exeter LOL Festival is certainly growing in popularity with the impressive list of comedians who are heading down to Devon proving that this vibrant city has a lot more going for it than you may have previously imagined.
Sharpham House is South Devon is the kind of place you go to if you want to relax and learn alternative ways to simply chill out. The Sharpham House Winter Open Day is slightly different in that work has to be done but everyone is welcome and as they say, you will get your reward in heaven. Not to mention a lovely bowl of soup around the campfire.
Joking aside though, the Sharpham House Winter Open Day is great fun and a real sense of achievement is felt at the end of the day. Add to the fact that the surroundings are absolutely beautiful it is of little wonder why this day is proving to be so popular and gets booked up very quickly.
Stargazing LIVE is an event that has really taken off over the past couple of years with the response from the general public being absolutely staggering to say the least. This year it is the turn of the wonderful Eden Project in Cornwall to stage the proceedings and most people would agree that there cannot be many better places to stage this prestigious event.
The Eden Project is a unique destination at any time of the year but exploring the night sky in complete darkness, with some of the most renowned astrology experts in the world must surely go down as a match made in heaven.
Going for a swim on Boxing Day has long been a tradition for those who live by the sea. Lots of money is raised for charity and everyone has a great time. Fancy dress is optional, but being slightly crazy is probably a requirement.
If you get bitten by the bug and decide to have a go, don’t forget that there is far more to it than simply dipping your toe in the water!
It’s easy to get caught up in the spend, spend, spend mentality when the latest must have products are thrust into our faces at every opportunity, especially on the run up to Christmas which seems to start earlier every year.
How about though, a trip back to Victorian times in which the way of life was so completely different to the kind of lifestyle that we have now become accustomed to…
It could be said that some Christmas markets are better than others. Taking place over the first weekend in December, or as in 2013 on the last weekend in November, the Fowey Christmas Market offers so much and it is not only the locals who now look forward to it.
The market is first class so if you are looking for a spot of Christmas shopping in a lovely location, you won’t find much better than this one.