Port Eliot Festival
About Port Eliot Festival
A celebration of music, literature, fashion, food, flowers and film on the Port Eliot Estate, Cornwall. The 2019 festival was our last for the foreseeable future.
Port Eliot Festival Description
Port Eliot Festival is the original free-ranging festival of ideas, which draws an unmatchable collection of artists, musicians, writers, comedians, performers, thinkers, makers, protagonists, agitators and scribblers to one of the most beautiful corners of the country. This year’s Port Eliot Festival event will run from Thursday 27 to Sunday 30 July on the rolling park and woodland of the ancient estate at St Germans, on south east Cornwall’s Rame Peninsula.
Recent years have seen Barbara Hulanicki and Sandy Powell leading a fashion drawing masterclass for children; Kate Winslet performing a Sunday morning children’s story; Dominic West hosting a spelling bee; Britain’s finest wildlife sound recordist, Chris Watson, blasting the sounds of Sheffield along the river walk; Gruff Rhys presenting a poignant and funny musical history lesson; tales of life as the ‘60s it-girl and style inspiration from Penelope Tree; and Martin Scorsese handpicking the film programme.
The spirit of the festival is a reflection of the singular history and character of Port Eliot itself. The House has been lived in for over 1000 years and is believed to be the oldest continually inhabited dwelling in the UK. It has housed Augustinian monks, survived confiscation by Charles I’s Court of the Star Chamber and been declared the most beautiful place in England by Napoleon. Its central room boasts a 360° masterpiece mural by South West England’s most celebrated 20th century artist, Robert Lenkiewicz, alongside great works by Reynolds and Van Dyck. The festival finds its way into the House itself, with exhibitions in the basement, a now legendary fashion dolls tea party in the dining room, tours of the historic rooms and conversations in the Round Room.
Reviews
One of the highlights in the Big Kitchen will be food historian, cook and author of Dinner with Dickens, Pen Vogler, who will be preparing and serving some of the Victorian recipes served by Charles Dickens to the many guests invited to dine at his home.
Explore the chef line-up here: porteliotfestival.com/food
Very happy to welcome back beloved documentary photographer Martin Parr (his 'Space Dogs' book arrives in June) alongside The Guardian art critic, Jonathan Jones, who'll explore his new Phaidon.com history of British Art, 'Sensations'.
Explore the line-up here: porteliotfestival.com/whats-on
You're all invited to an audience with Robyn Hitchcock - in our book (and it's a really good and wise book) one of the country’s great songwriters and performers - in The Church, a hallowed place, which is the very least he deserves.
Explore the line-up here: porteliotfestival.com/whats-on
This year, the Open Fire stage will be curated by chef, writer and broadcaster Valentine Warner.
First to join us are some of the most exciting chefs in Britain today: Russell Norman, Olia Hercules, Gill Meller, Zoe Adjonyoh and food historian, presenter and The History Cook columnist, Polly Russell.
Explore the line-up here: ... porteliotfestival.com/whats-on
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Chuffed to tell you who's playing Caught by the River this year. You just know this lot'll be absolutely everywhere after summer and you'll have seen them first. Aldous Harding, Beak>, Stealing Sheep and more!
Early festival playlist up and building here now: https://spoti.fi/2DPirBk
Explore the rest of the line-up here: ... porteliotfestival.com/whats-on
HEAVENLY RECORDINGS
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Pleased as punch to have the inimitable ALICE TEMPERLEY of Temperley London gracing this year's Fashion Foundation with her glorious gowns and telling the Temperley story using her books, ‘True British’ and ‘English Myths and Legends’.
We'll be welcoming back Preen by Thornton Bregazzi for an immersive catwalk experience like no other.
There'll also be a very special new collaboration with the Fashion & Textile Museum (which we're keeping schtum about for now!) and we'll be ...joined by Marta Jakubowski, Sadie Williams, the Art Car Boot Fair, Rockins and London’s gender-queer fashion collective, Art School.
porteliotfestival.com/fashion-art/
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After a fallow year in 2018, we are hugely excited to say that HoleandCornerMagazine will be returning to Port Eliot Festival this July to bring to life a full programme of making, talks, music and discovery. Their first confirmed partner is the world-famous Aardman Animations studio, who'll provide a daily series of model-making workshops for all the family. Explore the line-up here: ... porteliotfestival.com/whats-on
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Couldn't be more excited to reveal our first three acts for The Boogie Round (the UK's only club inside a laurel bush): Beating Heart Music, Lord Leopard and Alfresco Disco. G'wan!
Explore the rest of the line-up here: porteliotfestival.com/whats-on
Among our absolute favourite things this year, Paddington writer, Mighty Boosh mainstay (& chiefly, for us, ‘Garfunkel’ Detectorist), Simon Farnaby will be in discussion at The Idler Academy
A true treat for weekend ticketholders, Thursday at Caught by the River is headlined by one of the most captivating artists anywhere. Aldous Harding’s live performances will leave you agape (in the best possible way).
The glorious Beak> will headline on the Friday, Stealing Sheep will top the bill Saturday and Port Eliot favourite The Orielles will lead the Sunday night party.
Thrilled to welcome this little trio of brilliance to our fine corner of the country this year: please be upstanding for Emily Maitlis, Bruce Parry and Shappi Khorsandi!
Explore the Words line-up here: porteliotfestival.com/words
Pair of weekend tickets up for grabs! For a chance to win, like this post and feel free to share it.
As the crocuses bloom in the Port Eliot garden and the days get longer, we’re over the moon to share with you a first little taster of what’s to come in 2019. Featuring Aldous Harding, Emily Maitlis, Bruce Parry, Ed Harcourt and more. Roll on July!
porteliotfestival.com/whats-on
By request, a new kind of deposit ticket has just landed. Pay just £60 now to secure your weekend ticket and the rest in instalments from April. And just like that, you'll be here, lapping up the Cornish summertime.
porteliotfestival.com/buy-tickets
Our first line-up announcement takes flight next week... hold onto your hats!
Sign up to our newsletter to have your mitts on the juicy goss first: porteliotfestival.com/newsletter
We like this. Writing tips from all the greats.
Very sad news today. RIP Jeremy Hardy, a radiant spirit and true gent.
We're over the moon to unveil this year's artwork by Rosie Lea, an illustrator and print maker who's worked up posters for the likes of White Denim, L7, Queens of the Stone Age and IDLES, to name just a few! The first line-up announcement lands 14th Feb, stay tuned for news.
Head here for a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the process of creating this year's campaign image: porteliotfestival.com/introducing-our-201 9-artist/
... ∙ Jacknife Prints
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