After an horrendous day of torrential rain, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out in time for the seventh Gyllyngdune Tea Festival in Falmouth on Sunday.

Gyllyngdune Gardens were filled with the sound of music, laughter and the clinking of china cups as crowds gathered to enjoy everything the festival had to offer.

The event, organised by Falmouth Town Council in partnership with Cormac and GLL, who now run the Princess Pavilion, saw around 3,000 people visit the gardens and enjoy the vast array of activities and entertainment on offer throughout the site.

This included pop up theatre in the quarry garden with John Brolly’s Tempest in a Teacup; dancing the Charleston and lindy hop on the lawn with the Foxytrotters, music on the bandstand and throughout the garden, tea leaf reading and making Mad Hatter hats in Falmouth Art Gallery’s CrafTEA tent.

Trees were adorned with teacups, clocks, lampshades and pompoms carrying through the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party theme, with Swamp Circus performing on the seafront and holding workshops of the lawn. Visitors enjoyed a fascinating talk about Asian teas from Alex of Curious Tea, soaked up the sunshine and enjoyed cream in the tropical gardens overlooking Falmouth Bay.

Organisers Sara Baistrocchi, community engagement co-ordinator; and Jacqui Owen, visitor and community engagement officer for Falmouth Town Council; declared it the best tea festival yet.

“This year’s event has been bigger and better than ever with so many people working together to make it happen," said Jacqui. "The gardens were busy right from the beginning.

“We wanted to encourage people to explore the whole site, not just the top garden with the bandstand which most people know, but all the way through, down to the seafront. It takes months of planning, and the incredible feedback that we’ve had from everyone saying how much they enjoyed it makes it really worthwhile. It was fantastic to see the gardens full of so many happy, smiling faces and we couldn’t have been luckier with the weather.”

The festival celebrates part of the gardens' rich heritage. They were was once owned by Frederick Horniman, a Victorian tea trader and local MP, who was part of the Horniman Tea Company and founder of The Horniman Museum in London.