2026 Programme
Lowender Festival
thursday 15 – Sunday 18 October
Lowender Celtic Festival is back in 2026 with more opportunities for cultural exchange, dance and song!
Sign up to our enews to be the first to find out about ticket tiers, line up announcements and the 2026 programme.
thursday 15th OCToBER
Rose Cottage
- 18:00 – Yeth an Werin
Join us for a special pre-show Yeth an Werin, our friendly Cornish language conversation group with Sarah Buck and Emma Jenkin.
Grab dinner or drinks from 5pm and practice your Kernewek, Cornish language! Complete beginners are very welcome to come and hear Cornish spoken.
Buttermarket
- 19:00 – Sundown Session
Join local musicians for a session of lively Celtic music.
Redruth Wesley
- 19:30 – Anna Anise Album Launch pre-festival special
Featuring all the musicians who played on Anna’s debut bilingual Cornish/English album, Aneth. Aneth means ‘marvel’ or ‘wonder’ in Cornish.
friday 16th OCToBER
Redruth Library
- 11:00 – 12:00 – Rhyme Time
- A playful hour for 0-5 year olds with rhymes in Cornish and English.
Redruth Community Centre
- Boos hag Ilow / Food and Music
- 18:30 – 19:15 – Music with Celtic Fiddle Orchestra
Evening Dance and Music / Dons hag Ilow Gorthugher (Main Hall)
- 19:30 – Nos Lowen Cornish Dance Workshop
- 20.30 – Nos Lowen Cornish Dance with Dalla Duo
- 21:30 – Floor spot
- 22:00 – Scottish Ceilidh with caller Kate Smith from Ceilidh Cornwall
- 23:00 – Manx floor spot with Skeddan Jiarg
- 23:30 – Manx Ceilidh with Scran
Acoustic Music Sessions / Rakka Ilow Acoustek (Murdoch Bar)
- Enjoy an informal acoustic music session, bring your instruments and singing voices or just enjoy the atmosphere.
Redruth Wesley
- 19:30 – Michael McGoldrick & Tim Edy
- Manchester born flutes, whistles and uillean pipes maestro Michael McGoldrick teams up with Tim Edey, one of the world’s finest melodeon and guitar players.
- Support comes from the excellent Toby & Jen Kessell.
Redruth Buttermarket
- Free event!
- 20:00 – DJ Set
- Groove to Celtic sounds
saturday 17th OCTOBER
Redruth Buttermarket &
Market Hall
- Free events!
10:00 – 16:00 – Courtyard
- Music, dance, wrestling displays, family ceilidh
10:00 – 14:00 – Market Hall
- Intangible Cultural Heritage Expo
REDRUTH Community Centre
- 10:00 – 14:00 – Craft Fair & Family Activities
- Free events!
- Talk / Areth (Red Room / Stevel Rudh)
- 15:00 – 16:30 – Talk about Cornish Pub songs with Hilary Coleman & Sally Burley
- Shout / Garm (Murdoch Bar)
- 16:30 – 18:00 – Shout with the Red River Singers
Workshops / Hweljiow (Main Hall)
- 15:00 – 16:30 – Manx Dance Workshop
- 17:00 – 18:30 – Breton Dance Workshop
Evening Dance and Music / Dons hag Ilow Gorthugher (Main Hall)
- 19.30 – Irish Ceili with Kevin & Carol Monaghan
- 20:30 – Floor spot
- 21:00 – Fest Noz with Duo Landat Moisson
- 22:00 – Floor spot
- 22:30 – Ginger’s Remix : Reels & Heels – a troyl with a twist from the sweetest Queen in town. Ginger from Redruth’s famous Drag Queen Diner joins Splann for an epic covers‑ceilidh guaranteed to ‘splanna’ (splanna means to ‘shine’ in Cornish).
Acoustic Music Session / Rakka Ilow Acoustek (Murdoch Bar)
- Enjoy an informal acoustic music session, bring your instruments and singing voices or just enjoy the atmosphere.
THE LADDER
Workshops / Hweljiow
- 10:30 – 12:00 – Accompaniment Workshop
- with Tim Edey on guitar
10:30 – 12:00 – Whistle Workshop
- with Michael McGoldrick on whistles
13:00 – 14:00 – Book Launch
- with Taylor Strickland
- Free event!
- Join us for the launch of a book of poetry by C18th Scottish Gaelic poet, Alasdair mac Mhaighstir Alasdair (Gaelic tutor to Charles Edward Stuart, popularly known as ‘Bonnie Prince Charlie’), newly translated into English by Taylor Strickland.
- Drinks & nibbles.
14:30 – 16:30 – Celtic Languages in Translation
- A unique opportunity to experience readings of literature written in each of the Celtic languages – Breton, Welsh, Irish Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic, Manx and Cornish – in both their original languages and in English literary translations. Read by professional translators from each of the Celtic nations who will be visiting the festival this year.
17:00 – 19:00 – Cornwall – a Sense of Place
- Join Tir ha Tavas (Dee & Dave Brotherton) and guest reader, Helen Musser on a journey in music, words and images around this beautiful world at the end of the land.
REDRUTH WESLEY CHURCH
- 14:00 – Concert / Kescan with Neear Nesañ, Duo Landat Moisson & The Twin Tides
- 19:30 – Concert / Kescan with Mari Mathias supported by Isaac I. Ockenden,
- curated by Stone Club
sunday 18th OCTOBER
redruth Community Centre
- Workshops / Hweljiow
- 10:00 – 11:30 – Irish Sets Workshop (Main Hall)
- with Kevin & Carol Monaghan
10.00 – 11.30 – Cornish & Breton Language Taster (Blue Room / Stevel Glas)
A chance to pick up or practice Cornish & Breton.
14.00 – 16.30 – Exploring Cornish and Welsh Tunes (Red Room / Stevel Rudh)
with Tommie & Christine
10.00 – 12.00 – Building Audiences for Cornish Music (Red Room / Stevel Rudh)
Conference / Keskussulyans
12:00 – 13:00 – Callers’ Chat (Blue Room / Stevel Glas)
including how to use the new dance music resources
13:30 – 15:30 – Youth Tune Swap – Cornish / Manx (Main Hall)
Cornwall Youth Folk Ensemble mash up with Scran
Evening Dance and Music / Dons hag Ilow Gorthugher
19:30 – 21:00 – Survivors’ Ceilidh / Troyl Duryoryon (Main Hall)
For those who have made it to the bitter end – we salute you! A last chance to dance out Lowender!
Acoustic Session (Murdoch Bar)
Enjoy an informal acoustic music session, bring your instruments and singing voices or just enjoy the atmosphere.
Wesleyan Buildings: Jubilee Hall
- Free event!
10:30 – Celtic Service / Gonis Keltek
A special Celtic service held by Redruth Methodist Church. All welcome.
REDRUTH WESLEY CHURCH
12:30 – 13:30 Mike O’Connor Music Talk
on the making of Lost Voices of the Moor.
14:30 – 16:00 – The Lost Voices of the Moor
