Porthleven Food Festival have announced that Mad Dog Mcrea will headline their opening party on the evening of Friday, April 26.

The festival traditionally brings a big name act to the stage on opening night and this year is no exception. Mad Dog Mcrea blend a mixture of folk rock, pop, gypsy jazz and bluegrass, with self-penned songs of adventure, drinking, love and life, to traditional songs of gypsies, fairies, legless pirates and black flies.

Alec Short, director of Porthleven-based ARC Live that runs the festival, said: “This is an absolutely fantastic act and it’s great to have secured them to open the festival. These guys are huge and have played at loads of festivals, including the Avalon stage at Glastonbury. They also gig across the UK and this is a rare chance to catch them in Cornwall."

Mad Dog will be supported on Friday by the Roustabouts, a troupe of musicians, fire performers and circus artists bring a gypsy cabaret circus experience.

The Friday announcement comes hot on the heels of announcements about Saturday and Sunday nights.

Saturday will bring a tribute to Motown by some of Cornwall’s top Motown musicians, including the All Star Soul Band and Falmouth Community Gospel Choir.

Soul diva Liz Ashton, singer and manager of the Motown Pirates, will provide the vocals for the All Star Soul Band. Her festival and gig experiences in 2018 included supporting Steve Harley, UB40, Billy Ocean and The Stranglers.

Falmouth Community Gospel Choir director Ley Adewole has appeared at the food festival numerous times with her band The Grace Notes. She’s also sung with Stevie Wonder, George Michael, The Beautiful South and Take That, and won best newcomer from the British Gospel Association.

If that’s not enough there’s also a DJ set from Pete Isaac of Jelly Jazz.

Sunday’s line-up is then all-Porthleven, featuring local surf band Ola Loco, punky favourites Half Kut, the pop synths of Rosie Crow and the 80s get up and go of Go Go Skank.

Earlybird Gourmet tickets are on sale allowing access to all the weekend’s stages and events, including a bridge pass to cross the harbour and priority seating in the Chef’s Theatre, currently priced at £39 online or £45 on the door.

Individual evening tickets for Sunday are priced at £7.50 and include a £1 donation to a local charity. There will also be a chance for locals to buy Sunday tickets at a reduced rate in Porthleven prior to the event. Friday tickets are £15 and Saturday £14, with all tickets half price for children aged 12 to18 (under 12 go free). There are no booking fees on tickets this year.