If you like your music loud and eclectic and your traditions eccentric, this is the festival for you. Originally an event to celebrate the arrival of summer, Polperro’s free festival , which takes place in June, has evolved to embrace music, arts and crafts and comedy. There’s a huge solstice bonfire and a mock mayor ceremony, so traditions are kept up too.
Once lost, this festival was thankfully revived in 1996 and is now a fantastic week-long festival which encompasses music of all kinds (from male voice choirs to rock and everything in between) which takes place throughout the town whilst the pubs also host bands too.
Additionally there’s an outstanding comedy night and an arts and craft fair showcasing brilliant local talent. There’s a carnival too, and the intriguing mock mayor ceremony, where a false mayor is elected, wheeled throughout the town by wheelbarrow (stopping off at every pub, naturally) and finally dunked in the sea.
Polperro is a great little village with a small fishing harbour and renowned for its excellent seafood, so you’ll find plenty of fishy goings-on food wise. Being an old village, the roads are shut to traffic during the festival so park at the top of the village and walk down (approximately half a mile) or you can take the tram if you don’t want to walk.
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