The sun shone as the 15-day St Ives September Festival of music and arts got off to a cracking start.

The first of two Saturday afternoons of street entertainment attracted big crowds of enthusiastic Festival-goers who thronged to the music events all over town. 

Several events were sold out in advance, including the opening night’s Fleetwood Mac tribute band Tango In The Night at St Ia Church, Sunday’s An Audience With Harry Glasson and Will Keating at the Arts Club, ARKangel’s Cider With Rosie at the Mariners Gallery on Wednesday and all four Arts Club screenings of Newlyn director Diana Taylor’s new 2024 film Catch The Wind: St Ives In The 60s.

Polly Carter’s two garden walks – at Virginia Woolf’s childhood garden at Talland House and the Porthminster Café Kitchen Garden are also fully booked.

An Open Secret, a new arts initiative at this year’s Festival, isn’t such a mystery any more. The first large offering was clearly visible when artist Zoe Eaton unveiled her spray-on chalk offering on the side of the organisers’ Barnoon Arts building at the bottom of The Warren.

Petty Criminals
The Petty Criminals – St Ives’ Rick Chappell and Annie Nicol - on the harbourside (Picture: Mike Sinclair)

The first art drops left around town on Saturday morning for finders to keep were also soon discovered and the Open Secret surprises will keep popping up throughout the Festival which runs until September 28.

The return of the Sandcastle Competition on Porthminster Beach, organised by RIBA Cornwall and Poynton Bradbury Architects, for the first time since before the Covid lockdowns also proved popular with both children and adults.

There will be a second Saturday afternoon of Street Entertainment this weekend featuring Samba Kernow, Hevva Cornish Dancers, Hayle’s Ukuhayles, Pensans Morris, September Festival debutants Stuns’ls Shanty Group and more performers across the town.

Keen art bargain hunters are expected to be camping out overnight in Back Road West once again to snap up the best offerings ahead of St Ives Rotary’s annual Spot The Artist charity art sale at Porthmeor Studios on Sunday. Viewing days are on Friday and Saturday with the sale doors opening at 9.30am on Sunday.

Artists at the nearby White’s Old Workshops are holding open evenings from 5pm until 7pm on Friday and Saturday and Open Studios continues throughout the Festival.

Boudica on The Wharf
Boudica on The Wharf (Picture: Mike Sinclair)

Tickets are still available for shows over the next few days including Molly Hocking – 2019 winner of ITV’s The Voice – and the Celtic Male Ensemble at St Ia Church, Rue and her band, Carly and Sven, Nicole Tesseyman and Winter Mountain at the Arts Club and Kizamba at the Western Hotel.

Cornwall ska band Rudi’s Message are a late addition to the Festival at St Ia Church on Thursday September 26, replacing Daisy Clark who withdrew from her show.

Full Festival information and to book tickets, www.stivesseptemberfestival.co.uk