Published December 6th, 2022
Thousands of people attended Padstow Christmas Festival this weekend, 1 to 4 December, which returned to the north Cornish harbour town for the first time since 2019.
The volunteer-led event was established in 2008, and now welcomes hundreds of artisan food, drink and craft producers, alongside regional and internationally-renowned chefs.
Headline chefs included Angela Hartnett, Rick Stein, Matt Tebbutt, Clodagh McKenna, Paul Ainsworth, and many more, all cooking live in front of audiences in the Sharp’s Chefs Theatre.
Paul Ainsworth, who has been an integral part of the festival for many years, said: “For us, the Padstow Christmas Festival kicks off our festive season. It was a great weekend and fantastic to see some familiar faces, catch up with chef friends like Clare Smyth, James Knappett and Glynn Purnell, and feel that Christmas buzz around the harbour again.”
Tina Evans, who has been running the festival since it began, said: “After facing two Covid-related cancellations in 2020 and 2021, I couldn’t be happier to be back. Once again, everyone has thrown themselves into the event, creating a truly special four days.
“There are so many people involved, including my group of brilliant volunteers, our local suppliers, and all the chefs who give up their time free of charge. I’d also like to thank the Padstow Merrymakers who led the lantern parade, Sonic Fireworks for the brilliant display on Friday night, and of course our headline sponsor Sharp’s Brewery.”
The festival was first created to bring people into the town at a time when it would normally be quiet, providing support for the local businesses.
Commenting on this year’s festival, David Flide, who runs the Mussel Box restaurant in Padstow, said: “It was so nice to see happy faces and experience the atmosphere in and around the quay. I’m certain it’s given a very much-needed economic boost to the town.
“Staff have a fair few extra pennies in their pockets, and many businesses made enough to see them through the winter and out the other side without laying off staff.”
The festival’s expansive Christmas market showcased local food and drink producers, alongside artists, artisans and creatives.
Graham Anderson, who runs Cornish business Eddie’s Shed, was one of the many stallholders. He said: “Padstow Christmas Festival is the first festival we’ve done, and we’ve been overwhelmed by the response. We sold out of every design of our flat-pack fire pits and decorative saws, and it was a pleasure to meet so many happy customers.”
This year’s festival included a Big Cornish Breakfast – where celebrity chefs cooked and served a very special breakfast to guests in the Sharp’s Chefs Theatre. A charity auction, which took place during the breakfast, raised £1,250 for several local charities.
Organisers were faced with soaring infrastructure costs across all fronts this year. To make the event possible without compromising on the quality or the positive economic impact on local businesses, a ticket system was introduced.
The money this has generated will be used to cover costs, with any excess being distributed to organisations which benefit the local community.
Despite the rising costs of hosting the event, there was a host of free activities available to the local community – including a spectacular lantern parade and firework display on Friday night, and a full schedule of live music on the bandstand each day.
Planning is already underway for the 2023 festival. The provisional dates are Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 December.
For more information, visit www.padstowchristmasfestival.co.uk.
