Hello! And welcome to my guide to fantastic things to do in Cornwall in August. The summer is such a wonderful time to visit Cornwall – the sun is (hopefully!) shining, everyone is in the holiday spirit, and its miles of coastline and countryside shine. Cornwall is the perfect place to experience sailing regattas on the sea, agricultural fairs further inland, as well as music festivals to have fun and dance away into beautiful summers evenings.
Nautical things to do in Cornwall in August
Falmouth Week, Falmouth
Falmouth Week is one big celebration of all that this popular seaside town has to offer and is a great family day out. It started as a local sailing regatta in 1837 and has grown into a famous week of yacht and dayboat racing in Falmouth Bay as well as lots of shoreside events for landlubbers too! Kids will love the huge Victorian carousel and marching carnival, there’s a great market featuring artisan produce from across the South West, as well as loads of music in the evening so you’ll be entertained all day. Keep an eye out on their website for the full schedule of events, including the amazing fireworks display that lights up the harbour – usually on the Friday or Saturday, depending on the weather.
Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta
Falmouth is certainly the place to be in the first few weeks of August! Hot on the tails of Falmouth Week is the Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta, a four day event celebrating beautiful tall ships in Falmouth Harbour before they head off on the epic Magellan-Elcano series of races around the Iberian Peninsula. First the first three days, you can board some of the tall ships (imagine the type of ship you’ve see in Poldark or Pirates of the Caribbean) in Falmouth Docks and enjoy plenty of onshore events. On the fourth day is the main event – the spectacular Parade of the Sail, where the tall ships sail together around Falmouth Bay accompanied by hundreds of local boats. The Parade of Sail can be seen from St Anthony Head on The Roseland right along the coast to Rosemullion at the entrance to the Helford. The organisers recommend watching from Pendennis Headland, Gyllyngvase Beach, Swanpool Beach, Maenporth Beach, Rosemullion Head, St Mawes and St Anthony’s Head. It truly is a sight to be seen! After the Parade, the ships will sail to a starting point five miles out to sea, where they’ll race to Coruna in northern Spain. They’ll then sail in company to Lisbon in Portugal, before the final race to Cadiz in southern Spain. Sounds like a great adventure! If you fancy having a go at future races, take a look at the charity behind the race – Sail Training International – where you can sign up to train on a tall ship!
Fowey Regatta and Carnival Week
The same week at the Falmouth Tall Ships Regatta is Fowey Regatta and Carnival Week, so this is a great time to visit the south Cornish coast! The Regatta is one of the UK’s best known sailing events and there’s a full programme of races for Troys, Fowey Rivers, Cruisers, Falmouth Working Boats and a handicap dinghy fleet. There’s also SUP, homemade raft and swimming races, as well as a gig rowing regatta. There’s plenty of onshore activities too. Depending on what day you go, there’s pasty eating competition, traditional flora dance, huge fireworks display, classic car show, live music, carnival parade, sand sculpture contest and Red Devils display, and especially for children there’s also a crabbing contest, gingerbread decorating and family fun day. Check the website’s schedule before you go for the full timetable of events.
Rural things to do in Cornwall in August
Camelford Agricultural Show, Camelford
I love a good agricultural show and Camelford’s certainly has all the best bits – horses, sheep and cattle on show, a Grand Parade on prize winning animals, dog shows, demonstrations and local food stalls. The show has been celebrating the farming and rural life since 1906, so you’ll certainly be able to soak up the north Cornish country vibe.
Cornish County Fair, Stithians
Stithians is a little village between Redruth and Falmouth that hosts Cornwall’s largest one day agricultural show. With beautiful views over the surrounding countryside, this traditional county fair has everything from show jumping, gun dog and pony displays, steam and vintage vehicles to live music, local food stands, rural crafts and skills, a fairground, and a sunflower trail of little ones. If you want a taste of real Cornish country life, this is the day out for you!
Musical things to do in Cornwall in August
Cornwall Folk Festival, Wadebridge
Whether you’re a folk music fan or just looking to expand your musical horizons with a great day out, Cornwall Folk Festival is well worth a visit. Over the August bank holiday weekend, live music is performed around the market town of Wadebridge in cafes, pubs and bars, as well as outdoors, with some great acts scheduled to make an appearance.
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