Each year Cornwall plays host to an exciting schedule of food and music festivals and this Autumn, you'll want to reserve some time to visit the local atmospheric seaside towns to embrace their rich and plentiful offering of fantastic produce and warm and welcoming Cornish entertainment. Each event is designed to entertain and educate all ages and can be interwoven with your weekend or holiday plans with lots to do for all the family. For the foodie offerings, adults can brush up on their own home cooking skills with live demonstrations from some of the region's culinary masters and our future foodies can hone their gastro skills with fun, creative activities and workshops learning about our native land and sea life.
St Ives September Festival – 8th -22nd September at Street-An-Pol, St Ives
The biggest arts event in the South West sees a plethora of talent performing around the town in the beautiful setting of St Ives, it's not one to be missed. Two weeks of great music, exhibitions, walks, talks, workshops, films, comedy, theatre, plays, stories and poetry.
Newquay Fish Festival 11th-13th September within Newquay Harbour.
In its thirteenth year, Cornwall's most established food and crafts festival fuses Newquay's vibrant holiday scene and its fishing community at Newquay's picturesque harbour and attracts over 40,000 visitors annually. At the heart of the event are the live demonstrations by BBC Masterchef's James Nathan and Rick Stein's chef promoting the bounty of local fish and shellfish available to us.
Looe Music Festival – 18th September – 20th September, Looe beach.
Looe Music Festival takes place in the heart of this seaside town. Playing host to Jools Holland and The Proclaimers, Sharp's Brewery's Doom Bar stage is set overlooking a beach lined by steep cliffs and the bustling harbour. Wherever you look there are amazing views, side streets to explore as well as a Sharp's Secret Bar experience for those lucky enough to discover it…
Great Cornish Food Festival (Cornwall Food and Drink) – 25th-27th September at Lemon Quay, Truro. Free entry
This year, local celebrated seafood chef and staunch festival supporter, Nathan Outlaw, will headline a packed timetable of master classes, cooking challenges and the obligatory tantalising tasting. Over 60 exhibitors, including Trewithen Dairy's delicious dairy produce, Sharp's Brewery's award winning beers and more than 30 food experts will be taking part. A must for all enthusiastic food-lovers!
Falmouth Oyster Festival – 8th-11th October at Events Square, Falmouth.
Celebrates Falmouth's unique oyster industry. A cookery master-class from a celebrity chef opens the event followed by a book signing. Then the four day festival is packed with cookery demonstrations by leading local chefs, there are plenty of oysters, seafood, wine and local ale to sample along with children's shell painting, entertainment in the form of sea shanties, a town parade, live music, an oyster shucking competition and Falmouth Working Boat race.