MORE than a week of music, film, language, dance and more is planned as Callington hosts the Esedhvos Kernow – Festival of Cornish Culture.

Festival events include many free to enter in venues around the town, and will lead up to a day of celebration on Saturday, September 7 in the Callington Community College grounds.

New bards will be initiated into the Gorsedh Kernow in an ancient ceremony, with music, dance, stalls and Cornish wrestling on the field, followed by an exuberant evening concert.

Running through the week from Monday, Sept 2 to Thursday, Sept 5 will be a choice of intensive four-day Cornish language courses for beginners in the mornings or afternoons and improvers in the afternoons

All week from Saturday August 31 at Callington Heritage Centre there’ll be an exhibition of images and recordings of the last Gorsedh in the town.

Here’s a guide to what’s on during the Esedhvos Kernow – for full details visit https://gorsedhkernow.org.uk/esedhvos-programme-callington-2024


Saturday, Aug 31 – Nos Lowen Cornish dance night;
Sunday, Sept 1 – Theatre drama: The Silver Ball;
Monday, Sept 2– Music Session;
Tuesday, Sept 3 – Cornish Folk Tales, Kernow Kino – ten short films;
Wednesday, Sept 4  – Theatre puppet show, Shout (singing in Cornish and English); Thursday, Sept 5 – Meet the Authors, The Prophecy of Merlin – A story with music;
Friday, Sep 6 – Gorsedh Seminar on the latest Cornish cultural developments, Gorsedh Awards and Social with a performance from Richard Trethewey;
Saturday Sep 7 – Stalls, entertainment and refreshments, with Callington Town Band, Cornwall Youth Choirs, Kelliwik Golowi and Cornish Wrestling, Gorsedh Bardic Ceremony and in the evening the Gorsedh Concert
At 2pm the annual Gorsedh ceremony will be held in the grounds of Callington Community College.

The procession will start at 1.40pm from the college and the ceremony will be led by the Grand Bard of Cornwall, Pol Hodge, Mab Stenak Vur.

The ceremony will be conducted in the Cornish language although it can be followed easily with the English translation. All are welcome to attend the ceremony and there is no charge for this event.

Sunday, Sept 8 – Food Fair and Music, Gorsedh Service in Cornish