2024 Programme
Lowender Festival
thursday 24 – Sunday 27 October
Lowender Celtice Festival is back in 2024 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 2024 programme.
thursday 24th OCToBER
Rowe’s – Fore street
- Free event!
- 14:00 – Yeth an Werin
church of king charles the martyr
- 19:30 – Gorwel / Horizon Showcase
friday 25th OCToBER
penventon hotel
- 12:30 – 3pm – Cornish Music Forum
- Exploring early career development in Cornish music.
Redruth Wesley church
- 18:30 – Thriving Traditions Concert / Kescan Hengovyow Seweni
- Shining the spotlight on Cornwall’s brightest young performers and including an appearance from our special guests from Scotland’s Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail.
redruth school
- 19:00 – Boos hag Ilow | Food & Folk (Dance Studio)
- 19.15 – Kessenyan
- 19.45 – Richard Trethewey
- Tacos and Breton Galettes will be available from 7pm alongside our fully stocked bar.
- 20:30 – Dance and Music / Dons hag Ilow (Main Hall)
- Evening ceilidhs will include Cornish and Scottish dance, and a floor spot from one our brilliant local Cornish dance teams:
- 20.00 – Doors Open
- 20.30 – Cornish with Bolingey Troyl Band
- 21.45 – Floor Spot with Cornish dance group Kekezza
- 22.15 – Scottish Ceilidh with the Feis Rois Ceilidh Trail
23:30 – Acoustic Music Session / Rakka Ilow Acoustek (Main Hall)
- After the dancing finishes stay on to enjoy an informal acoustic music session, bring your instruments and singing voices or just enjoy the atmosphere.
saturday 26th OCTOBER
Redruth school
- Family Activities / Aktivitys Teylu
- Free events!
11:00 – 12:00 – Troyl Teylu / Family Troyl (Main Hall)
- Treys Lowen means ‘Happy Feet’ in Cornish, and a troyl is Cornwall’s answer to a ceilidh!
Enjoy a taster of these folkie fundays, suitable for all ages and abilities, which usually happen on the 3rd Sunday of every months at Gwealan Tops in Redruth. Come and explore Cornwall’s rich folk music and dance traditions.
13:00 – 14:00 – Fun Family Stories (The Snugg – Room 99)
Listeners of all ages are invited to join Mike O’Connor and Barbara Griggs in the unique and celebrated world of Cornish folklore, where piskeys steal your socks, giants stride over the hills, knockers startle credulous miners, and mermaids sing to wide-eyed fishermen.
Dance Displays / Displetyansow Dons
- Free event!
13:30 – 17:00 – Dance Displays / Displetyansow Dons (Main Hall)
Rolling dance displays from visiting and local teams. Come and enjoy the spectacle! Our fully stocked bar will be open, and food will be available. Schedule:
4:30-4:50 Hevva
Workshops / Hweljiow
- Free event!
13:00 – 14:30 – Perghenegi & Fèis Rois Tune Swap (Dance Studio)
Aimed at those broadly 30yrs and under, this tune swap will be led by musicians from Perghenegi (the Cornwall Youth Folk Ensemble) and Scotland’s Fèis Rois Ceilidh Trail.
15:00 – 16:30 – Fest Noz Dance Workshop (Dance Studio)
A Fest Noz is a Breton social dance gathering which doesn’t have a caller like you might expect at a ceilidh. Expert dance leader Marie Hélène, visiting with our Breton group Le Carrouje, will guide you through this workshop teaching some of the dances appearing later in the evening, so you can take to the dance floor with confidence!
15:00 – 16:00 – Cornish Music Workshop with Mike O’Connor (The Snugg – Room 99)
Exploring the fun tunes in some lesser-known Cornish music manuscripts. Suitable for any instrument and for those just interested in Cornish culture.
Evening Dance and Music / Dons hag Ilow Gorthugher
18:00 – Boos hag Ilow | Food & Folk (Main Hall)
18.15 – Kerensa Lily-May
18.45 – Martha Woods
Tacos and Breton Galettes will be available from 7pm alongside our fully stocked bar.
19:30 – 23:00 – Dance and Music / Dons hag Ilow (Main Hall)
Enjoy a traditional Welsh ‘Twmpath’ (Wales’ answer to the ceilidh!) and Breton Fest Noz dancing, with a floor spot from award-winning Welsh dance team Dawnswyr Tawerin:
19.00 – Doors
19.30 – Welsh Twmpath with Dawnswyr Tawerin
21.00 – Dance Display from Dawnswyr Tawerin
21.30 – Fest Noz with Le Carrouje
21:00 – Disco yn Kernow – Silent Celtic Disco (Sports Hall)
If you’re looking for something less traditional, this is your space! Join the Silent Celtic Disco for some freestyle dance and groovy tunes.
Dress code: All that glitters!
23:30 – Acoustic Music Session / Rakka Ilow Acoustek (Main Hall)
After the dancing finishes, stay on to enjoy an informal acoustic music session, bring your instruments and singing voices or just enjoy the atmosphere.
kresen kernow
- 10:30 – 12:30 – MESKLA | Brewyon Drudh Rubbish Sculpture & Conversation Workshop – drop-in
- Rubbish Sculpture making, through knotting, tying, and weaving, while discussing themes around experiences of contemporary Cornish cultural identity and its relationship with extraction industries.
- 14:00 – 15:30 – Indigenous Language Song Q&A Session
- Q&A with performers taking part in the Yeth ha Tir project – featuring Cornish, Scottish Gaelic and Livonian language singers.
- This free event is also live-streamed, which is why booking is essential – we will send you the streaming link once you’ve booked your spot.
The oxford inn
- 15:30 – Scottish Music Session
- 17:00 – Irish Music Session
- They’ve got the pub – you bring the grub! You are welcome to bring your own picnic, takeaway etc.
REDRUTH WESLEY CHURCH
- 19:00 – Yeth ha Tir Concert / Kescan Yeth ha Tir
- Concert featuring Scottish Gaelic, Cornish and Livonian language singers in partnership with Feis Rois, The Livonian Institute and Lowender, exploring minority language song and its connection to the natural world. Yeth ha Tir means ‘language and land’ in Cornish.
sunday 27th OCTOBER
Wesleyan Buildings
- Free event!
10:30 – Celtic Service / Gonis Keltek
A special Celtic service held by Redruth Methodist Church. All welcome.
redruth school
- Workshops / Hweljiow
- 10:30 – 12:30 – Cornish, Livonian and Scottish Gaelic Song (Dance Studio)
- Learn one or two songs in the Cornish, Livonian and Scottish Gaelic languages, led by performers who are part of Lowender’s ‘Yeth ha Tir / Land and Language’ project. No experience necessary, open to anyone.
Cornish Wrestling Demonstration / Displetyans Omdowl Kernewek
Free event!
15:00 – 16:00 – Cornish Wrestling Demonstration / Displetyans Omdowl Kernewek (Main Hall)
Enjoy a display of the ancient Celtic martial art of Cornish wrestling.
Rolling programme of Cornish singing groups:
For those who have made it to the bitter end – we salute you! Our house band Splann will play for a selection of different callers who will lead dances from each of the Celtic countries.
22:00 – Acoustic Music Session / Rakka Ilow Acoustek (Main Hall)
After the dancing finishes, stay to enjoy an informal acoustic music session, bring your instruments and singing voices or just enjoy the atmosphere.
