The 15-day St Ives September Festival opens on Saturday, September 14 with its biggest-ever programme of Street Entertainment, the new Open Secret with art around the town’s streets, beaches, and outside spaces and the return of the popular Sandcastle Competition. 

The mayor of St Ives councillor Johnnie Wells said: “We are really looking forward to this year’s St Ives September Festival. As always it promises to be a vibrant celebration of music, arts and community.

“From street entertainment to art workshops, there’s something for everyone to enjoy - an unforgettable experience that showcases the spirit of St Ives.” 

This week’s first of two Saturday afternoons of Street Entertainment includes September Festival first-timers Redruth Festival Band and Tatters Morris, stilt performer Captain O’Goldie and Boudica - combining Border Morris, tales of the great Queen of the Iceni and Rolling Stones and Elvis Presley music – alongside several returning favourites. 

The Open Secret initiative features work by abstract painter Zoe Eaton and artist Peter Giles, of Barnoon Arts, and their guest artists including temporary wall art, sand drawings, small interventions, sound instillations, free art drops and other surprises during the two weeks of the Festival. 

Participating artists will also leave a free art piece hidden outdoors in St Ives for someone to discover and take home with details and rough locations of the artworks revealed on Barnoon Arts social media every morning. 

Sloop flag
Festival director Kelvin Hopkins (left) with Paul Scorer, general manager of the Sloop, Union and Upper Deck (Submitted)

The Sandcastle Competition returns to Porthminster Beach for the first time since the Covid lockdowns with registration at 9.30am for a 10am start on Saturday. 

Fleetwood Mac tribute band Tango In The Night sold out St Ia Church more than two weeks in advance for Saturday night’s show with all tickets also snapped up for An Audience With... Cornwall songwriter Harry Glasson and singer Will Keating at the Arts Club the following night. 

Three of the four screenings of Newlyn director Diana Taylor’s 2024 film Catch The Wind: St Ives In The Sixties had also sold out with a fortnight to go. 

But there are still tickets left for first week shows including The Trouble Notes, Bailey Tomkinson and the Locals, Voice winner Molly Hocking and the Celtic Male Ensemble at St Ia and Green Diesel, Martyn Barker, Rue and her band and Carly and Sven at the Arts Club with The Regalos and Kizamba at the Western Hotel. 

Free Festival pub music makes a welcome return to the official Festival programme this year with the new owners of the Sloop and Union Inns – and the new R Bar in Fore Street – signing up acts for all 15 nights while visiting and local performers are welcome to join three marathon music sessions on three Festival Saturday afternoons and several evenings at the Western. 

Other free events include Bob Devereux’s music and poetry every lunchtime in Norway Square – elsewhere if wet – Exhibitions, Open Studios and the popular Spot The Artist and Square Deal art sales.  Two author talks presented by St Ives Bookseller at Porthmeor Studios have been added since the programme went to press. 

They are 13 Cornish Ghost Stories with a panel of authors discussing the spooky collection next Monday (September 16) and The Cove: A Cornish Haunting with Beth Lynch on Wednesday, September 25. 

For more information and to book tickets online, visit: www.stivesseptemberfestival.co.uk