Storm Hannah avoids opening of Porthleven Food Festival

Despite ominous forecasts of Storm Hannah, organisers will no doubt be hoping that the blue skies continue through the rest of the weekend, which sees Porthleven transformed into a hub of food and music.

Returning for its 11th year, the event was opened yesterday by children from Porthleven School singing and waving flags as they paraded down to the festival site at the harbour and Moors Field to join mayor Andrew Wallis.

Pupils and staff take part in the parade. Photos: Kathy White

Pupils sing Food Glorious Food to open the event

Lee Bater of ILOW, the events company that organises the festival on behalf of the committee, said beforehand: “The Porthleven community is crucial to the event and this year we’re delighted that the school agreed to get involved and the children are coming down to test some of the circus shows and workshops in the family field.”

This kicked off a day celebrating local food and produce, with a farmers’ market and workshops, plus music during the afternoon.

Mad Dog Mcrea and The Roustabouts then got the party started in the evening on the Shipyard Stage.

Porthleven School drummers help to open the festival

There was plenty of flag waving

Despite some overcast skies at times and a few showers, the rain largely held off for the daytime activities and plenty of people took up the chance to sample some food ahead of the weekend crowds.

The festival opens again today at 10am with a performance from Porthleven Town Band, ahead of festival patron Antony Worrall Thompson starting the action in the Chefs’ Theatre with the now traditional Ready Steady Cook challenge against Porthleven’s own Kota and Kota Kai chef-owner Jude Kereama.

The Chef's Theatre will run on both weekend days at the Shipyard Stage, as will the Literary and Acoustic Tent and Family Field at The Moors, with circus skills and art workshops for young visitors. There are also a range of workshops for adults, from cocktail making and beer tasting to yoga, which can be booked on the food festival website.

Neil and Lisa Collins tasting vegetable crackers from Richard Robson

Organisers have teamed up this year with the Porthleven Environment Group, who will be helping with litter-picks across the weekend, as well as encouraging visitors and traders to recycle their rubbish.

Last year the Food Festival started a recycling programme and was able to recycle 53 per cent of its waste, compared to the 32 per cent recycled by the average UK festival. This year the aim is to achieve even higher figures.

The festival will close tomorrow evening with a line up made up entirely of Porthleven bands, including local surf guitar band Ola Loco, punky Half Kut, the emotional pop synths of Rosie Crow and the 80s vibes of Go Go Skank.

Helston neighbourhood police Paul Whitford and Julia Berry tour the site

The main car park on Friday will be at Porthleven Football Club and roads are open as usual, while on Saturday the main car park is the Methleigh Farm Park & Ride. This costs £5 and includes unlimited use of the shuttle bus in to the festival from the field, which is a ten-minute walk away.

Visitors should follow the signs to reach the festival and should not attempt to approach the festival along the usual B3304 from Helston as road closures will be in place, with Porthleven will be closed to non-residents from 7am to 7pm on Saturday and Sunday.

For more information on the road closures and access for residents click here.

People should not park on the roads leading into Porthleven as this causes major traffic problems and enforcement will be in operation.

First buses will also run a shuttle bus from the car park opposite Coronation Boating Lake in Helston down to Porthleven Post Office for £2 for adults and £1 for children, running on a loop from 10am to 6.10pm. The timetable can be found on the First Group website's Porthleven Festival 2019 page.

For the first time this year there will be a dedicated cycle park, at the football ground.

More than 20 businesses entered this year's festival shop window contest this year, decorating their windows to the 2019 theme of 'Love Food' - referencing the Summer of Love, hippies and flower-power.

Fist prize went to Pengellys for their Love Bus, second was Boots with a novel interactive photo-booth and third was Ann's Pasties.

Karen Wake and Andy Pengelly with the winning window display

The Atlantic Inn, Lindy Lou's, and Quayside Fish were highly commended.

The main judge was professional photographer David Penprase, with festival committee members.