Cornish Sardine Festival returns to Newlyn for its second year
Cornish fishing heritage takes centre stage as Newlyn welcomes back its popular Sardine Festival this weekend.
Newlyn Harbour is in the spotlight this August Bank Holiday as the Cornish Sardine Festival returns for a second year, celebrating Cornwall’s fishing heritage, community spirit, and iconic seafood.
Running from midday to 8pm today (Saturday 29th) and Sunday 30th August, the festival has become a standout event for Newlyn, drawing big crowds in its first year. Created by local skippers and harbour residents, this grassroots event honours the sardine fishery and the hardworking crews who keep Cornwall’s fishing traditions alive.
Visitors can expect a packed programme of live music, art and kids activities. The real star, though, is the sardine itself - freshly grilled by a team of chefs, with fishermen on hand to share stories and answer questions about their catch. Artists will be painting the historic luggers, the traditional fishing boats still a vital part of Newlyn’s harbour scene.
Gus Caslake, chair of the Cornish Sardine Management Association, explained how the festival first began.
"It was a group of skippers that really wanted to celebrate what is a historic fishery for Cornwall," he said.
"Cornwall was built on pilchards, now renamed sardines. We've been fishing off the Cornish coast for pilchards - sardines - for decades and centuries really.
"They wanted to celebrate - they work hard during the season. So we decided we'll set up a Sardine Festival in Newlyn."
Mr Caslake said the festival is an oppoortunity for the community to get involved and learn more about fishing in the region.
“It’s an opportunity for fishermen to interact with the local community and promote the great work that they do, not only just catching the sardines but also managing the stock of sardines locally," he said.
"It’s all about the community, all about the sardine, and all about the fishery. We’re catching them using modern techniques, but it’s the same stock of fish we had hundreds of years ago.”
"It’s an opportunity for fishermen to interact with the local community and promote the great work that they do"
The festival is also a chance to highlight the sense of community within the industry.
“There’s a lot of camaraderie within the fishery because they fish very, very close together," Mr Caslake said.
"It's one of the only fisheries in the country where if a vessel catches too much fish that he can't actually carry on board his own vessel, they will then share it with a colleague.
"So two vessels will come alongside and they'll share the catch, which for a fisherman is unheard of, really."
After the inaugural festival’s success, organisers are preparing for even more visitors this year. The weekend wraps up with live music each night, and Sunday features the return of ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ - a crowd favourite from last year.