Donation protected
Who are we?
The celebration of Golowan’s heritage honours the old traditions of the Feast of St. John and the coming of the Summer Solstice. Locals celebrate with the ancient customs of noise and dance, greenery and giant imagery, fire brands and fireworks, The Oss of Penglaz and the Mock Mayor elections, all of which are historical rituals to ward off the bad spirits when the veil between worlds becomes thin.
The Golowan festival is held annually in Penzance and is a 10-day festival of Cornish arts, performances, culture, and parades that culminate in a street festival on the last weekend in June where thousands attend a spectacle of giant model parades, street performances, street music, theatre, and the Golowan live music and DJ Marquee. This annual event is much loved and is the biggest event in the calendar for the southwest Cornish community. It is a 35-year revival festival of the Feast of St. John and the midsummer solstice that is delivered by the whole community and grown into one of the biggest heritage and community street festivals in South England.
We have a dedicated small team and hundreds of community volunteers that work from rented offices and stores to organise the community workshops and outreach programmes that are needed to deliver and celebrate the festival every year.
Our Purpose & Vision
Sadly, the current Golowan headquarters are no longer affordable and the increase in rent eats into the precious funds we need to deliver our much-loved yearly event. We cannot afford to operate long-term under this arrangement.
• To deal with the rising costs we’re raising funds to purchase a dedicated premises for the Golowan Festival—a space to house our team, store materials, host workshops, and welcome the community.
• This will secure the festival’s future, allowing us to grow, plan, and create with stability and heart.
Why It Matters
• Golowan is more than a festival—it’s a celebration of Cornish identity, creativity, and togetherness.
• A permanent home means year-round engagement: heritage model-making, festival crafts, art projects, youth music, and community gatherings.
• Without a base, we risk losing the momentum and magic that Golowan brings to Penzance.
How Funds Will Be Used
• We now have a time limited opportunity to purchase a building in the heart of Penzance from Cornwall Council. It takes organisers and volunteers all year to deliver the festival and the move to new premises must be done before January otherwise Golowan festival will be detrimentally impacted.
• Owning this building will allow us to do basic renovations and accessibility improvements and apply for additional funding to make good a permanent space for equipment storage and a workspace setup.
• We will also be able to develop our community programming and educational outreach plans.
• It will take a substantial pot of money to move the 35 years of equipment and materials owned by the Golowan community currently stored in the old premises.
Community Call to Action
• Whether you give £5 or £500, you’re helping root, not only for now but also for future generations, Golowan in the heart of Penzance. Let’s build a home where Cornish creativity flourishes and the community will always have a place to gather.
• Golowan is a hundreds of years old Cornish event where giants are crafted, stories are shared, fire rituals and heritage are re-enacted, and where the spirit of Cornwall blooms yearly—without a permanent home for the Golowan Festival, its continued survival is now in danger – we ask you to imagine a permanent base acquired by the community and for the community.
We are supported by:
Organizer
Nadine Tonner
Organizer