The Land's End peninsula has been attracting artists, musicians and writers since the early 20thC, and there is no shortage of galleries and musical events. Among the best known galleries are the Tate St. Ives and the nearby Barbara Hepworth Museum. In the small town of St. Just there are seven art galleries, and the Penlee Gallery in Penzance and the Newlyn Gallery are well worth a visit. The Penlee gallery houses many fine paintings of the Newlyn School.

For theatre, the unique Minack clifftop amphitheatre is an unforgettable experience on a summer night, and the Acorn Theatre in Penzance mounts a variety of theatrical and musical productions, in the Acorn itself and in the open air theatre in Penlee gardens. In some years, the recently revived Cornish mediaeval mystery play cycle, The Ordinalia, is performed in the open air in St. Just, featuring 100 actors and musicians.

Theatre:

Minack Theatre
Porthcurno
TR19 6JU
(01736) 810181
Season: Mid May - Mid Sep, daily, excl. Sat & Sun
Details online in November
Visitor centre open Apr to Sep, 0930 - 0530, Oct - Mar - 1000 to 0400
Web Link

Unique cliffside amphitheatre in a stunning setting, attracting an audience of 76,000 per season. The Visitors' Centre can be visited all the year round.

Minack Theatre

Acorn Theatre
Parade Street
Penzance
TR18 4BU
(01736) 365520
Season: all year
Web Link

Programmes feature theatre, music, dance, spoken word and community presentations. Also runs the Penlee Open Air Theatre.

Penlee Open Air Theatre
Morrab Road
Penzance
TR18 4HE

(01736) 365520
Season: July to Septemberr
Web Link

Summer productions.

Art Galleries:

 

Tate St. Ives - photo courtesy of Tate St. Ives

Tate St. Ives
Porthmeor Beach
St Ives
TR26 1TG
(01736) 796226
Open: Mar - Oct, daily 1000 - 1730; Nov - Feb, Tue - Sun 1000 - 1630 Closed 26 Jan - 6 Feb, 2004
Web Link

See the web site for current exhibitions. See also the Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden.

Barbara Hepworth Museum and Sculpture Garden
Barnoon Hill
St. Ives
TR26 1AD
(01736) 796226
Open:
Nov - Feb, Tue - Sun 1300 - 1630 or dusk, whichever is earlier
Mar - Oct, daily 1000 - 1.30

Web Link

Barbara Hepworth Garden - photo courtesy of Great British Gardens Guide

Barbara Hepworth's studio and garden are now part of the Tate St Ives. The sculptress asked in her will that Trewyn Studios and the adjacent garden, with a group of her sculptures, be permanently open to the public.

For visitors viewing both the Hepworth gardens and the Tate St. Ives, there is a special ticket arrangement.

Penlee House gallery

Penlee Gallery and Museum
Penlee House Gallery and Museum
Morrab Road
Penzance
TR18 4HE

(01736) 363625
Open:: May - Sep, Mon - Sat, 1000 - 1700, Oct - Apr, Mon - Sat, 1030 - 1630. Open Bank Holidays ex. Christmas and NY
Web Link

A selected number of museum exhibits illustrating life in West Cornwall from 1600 to the present day, and a superb fine art gallery dedicated to the Newlyn School of art.

Newlyn Art Gallery
New Road,
Newlyn
TR18 5PZ
(01736) 363715
Open: Mon - Sat 1000 - 1700 including Bank Holidays Closed 24,25,26 December and 1 January
Closed between exhibitions

Contemporary art.
Web Link

Newlyn Gallery

Rainyday Gallery
116 Market Jew Street
Penzance
TR18 2LD
( 01736) 366077

Web Link

Regular exhibitions featuring the best of local artists.

As well as the listings above, there are many independent small art galleries and studios throughout the area, featuring the work of local artists.

Festivals and events:

West Penwith hosts a large number of traditional and community events over the summer, the following is a selection of the most popular events:

Golowan Festival in Penzance
Web Link
Mid to late June Huge traditional festival over seven days, including the Mazey Day street parade, fireworks and street theatre.
Lafrowda Festival in St. Just
Web Link
Mid July A week's cultural events culminating in a day of street parades, stalls, and continuous music, dance and theatre.
Newlyn Fish Festival
Web Link
Late August Music, craft stalls and other entertainments.
The Ordinalia Cycle
Web Link
August A spectacular outdoor production of the Cornish Mystery cycle involving over 100 performers, performed at the Plen-an-Gwarry in St. Just.
St. Ives Festival
Web Link
September A 3 week festival of art, literature and music at various locations around St. Ives, with an additional fringe festival.

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