Day and weekend tickets on sale now for the second Fisherman’s Friends Festival at Stithians Showground, Cornwall, over the late May Bank Holiday weekend, 28–30 May 2027.
Also featuring Skerryvore, Breabach & Le Vent Du Nord, Sea Song Sessions (Jon Boden, Seth Lakeman, Emily Portman, Ben Nicholls & Jack Rutter), Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle, Katherine Priddy and comperes Kernow King and Johnny Cowling.
Fisherman’s Friends Festival returns to Stithians Showground from 28–30 May 2027. The Port Isaac ‘buoy band’ launched it this year with a sold-out debut that drew 5,000 people a day, and they will again open and close the weekend in the Big Top. The first festival, whose bill included Jools Holland, Kate Rusby and Seth Lakeman, drew strong reviews. Writing in The Voice, Kirstie Newton put it on a par with Sidmouth and Beautiful Days and called it “an unqualified success”.
Joining them on the Main Stage are Lulu, whose career spans more than six decades, The Bootleg Beatles, folk-rock pioneers Fairport Convention, Scottish band Skerryvore, and a joint set from traditional bands Breabach (Scotland) and Le Vent Du Nord (Canada).
Also on the bill are Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle, Katherine Priddy, Devon duo Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, and Sea Song Sessions with Jon Boden, Seth Lakeman, Emily Portman, Ben Nicholls and Jack Rutter. Cornish acts include comperes Kernow King and Johnny Cowling, the Porthleven Town Band, Kimber’s Men and a ceilidh from Brim Ceilidh Band.
The Outdoor Bandstand runs from Friday to Sunday with Mad Dog Mcrea, 3 Daft Monkeys, Geoff Lakeman’s Folk Sessions, Barrett’s Privateers and a few surprises from the band’s families. Cornish collective ARTiculate will run an art tent all weekend, making maritime-themed lanterns, prints and collages, plus Children’s Shanty Sessions.
The band set up the festival to bring audiences to their home county. Sell-out tours have taken them around the world, and their story has inspired two films and a stage musical, but they say there is nowhere they would rather sing than Cornwall.
Jeremy Brown of Fisherman’s Friends said: “When we first talked about creating our own festival, we just hoped people would come and enjoy a great weekend in Cornwall. We never imagined quite how special it would feel seeing thousands of people singing together, making new friends and having such a good time.
“We can’t wait to welcome everybody back to Stithians. Whether you were there last year or you’re joining us for the first time, there’ll be a warm Fisherman’s Friends welcome waiting for you.”
The festival is again staged with David and Laura Farrow of DMF Music, who run Devon’s Beautiful Days festival. They said: “People came from all over the country, but it felt like a gathering of friends from start to finish. The band had a clear vision and audiences really connected with it. We’re delighted to be working together again.”
Stithians Showground, near Penryn, is home to Cornwall’s largest one-day agricultural show. Festival-goers can come for a day or stay the weekend, with camping on site and glamping nearby, plus local food and drink, artisan traders and activities for children.
- Tickets are on sale now at fishermansfriendsfestival.co.uk
- Day and weekend tickets, camping, campervan and caravan passes, parking and glamping
Main Stage line-up
Saturday
Lulu
The Bootleg Beatles
Breabach & Le Vent Du Nord
Sea Song Sessions (featuring Jon Boden, Seth Lakeman, Emily Portman, Ben Nicholls & Jack Rutter)
Kimber’s Men
Fisherman’s Friends (opening show)
Kernow King
Sunday
Fisherman’s Friends
Fairport Convention
Skerryvore
Jacqui McShee’s Pentangle
Katherine Priddy
Porthleven Town Band
Brim Ceilidh Band
Johnny Cowling
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