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Porthleven Mermaid Day
October 2, 2021 All day
The Porthleven Mermaid hosts a day of art around the theme of mermaids, culminating in a swim at high tide featuring her merfolk friends from across Cornwall and beyond!
Perfect for kids, the day will feature workshops, performances, readings of mermaid stories and more.
Drawing on the myth and magic of Cornish mermaids, the event brings them right up to date to meet children and play in Porthleven’s iconic harbour.
The day will also be a celebration of outdoor swimming in all its forms and holds a serious reminder about the importance of protecting the ocean from plastic waste at its heart.
All our mermaid day events are free, however if you’re able we would be very grateful for a donation – this will ensure that we can run the Festival again in future years. Please remember to bring cash if you would like to donate as we cannot accept card payments. Thank you.
Photo by @mischiefthemermaid
PROGRAMME
10:00, 11:00, midday and 13:00
Meet-a-mermaid and storytelling
Breageside Net Loft
The young and young at heart will love these meet and greet mermaid sessions in our own under-the-sea grotto. There’s storytelling, crafting and conversations about how to protect our seas with different mermaids joining us every hour. Everyone’s welcome and we’ll even have the UK’s first signing mermaid, the BSL Siren, on hand providing British Sign Language interpretations for those who have difficulty hearing. FREE
Please note there is a capacity on these events and they will be offered on a first come, first served basis. The merfolk will also be swimming in the harbour at 3pm so everyone can see them there.
11:00
Writing about the sea workshop for ages 11+
Shipyard Market
Join author Elspeth Stephenson for a practical creative writing workshop that draws on the environment, the sea and mythology. This hour and a half-long workshop includes exercise to jump-start your creativity using found objects and the opportunity to write and receive feedback on a piece of short, flash fiction. FREE
Book at: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/170339889194
Midday
Cask Shanty Singers
Shipyard Market
Cask is a Shanty daughter and father duo – a mermaid and a pirate singing traditional shanties and forbitters, more recent ones, plus sea songs, ballads and a smattering of folk. FREE
14:00 and 16:00
The Urban Playground Team – On the Strandline
Harbour Head
The Urban Playground team present their spectacular performance-parkour show on a scaffold ship. The story, told by a child questions how, in the face of rising sea levels, we can avoid having to make the decision of who gets into the boat… FREE
14:45
Random act of art – Swim hat parade
Inner harbour
Pineapples, horses heads, boats, engine houses – these are no ordinary swim hats! Originally created as part of Kneehigh Theatre’s Random Acts of Art during lockdown, the hats were designed by Meier Wiliams and Sue Hill. Gorran Haven Cold Water Crew will parade them around the harbour. FREE
15:00
Mermaid swim
Inner harbour
Watch a gossip of mermaids and a merman as they swim and tail flip their way around Porthleven harbour. There will be meet and greets on the slipway as well as lots of colourful photo opportunities. This and the previous event can be viewed from all around the inner harbour. FREE
16:00
The Urban Playground Team – On the Strandline
Harbour Head
The Urban Playground team present a second performance of their parkour show. FREE
17:00
Cask Shanty Singers
Shipyard Market
Cask is a Shanty daughter and father duo – a mermaid and a pirate singing traditional shanties and forbitters, more recent ones, plus sea songs, ballads and a smattering of folk. FREE
18:00
Sip and Sketch Workshop
With the theme of the sea, be guided through various sketching tasks by Luci, the creator of Hand and Palm. Taking inspiration from the nautical objects in front of you, you will walk away with a selection of unique works of art. Enjoy a choice of spirit and mixer provided by local distillers Curio to sip while you sketch.
Ticket includes: 1 free drink provided by Curio, all materials to produce your own unique works of art. Costs £15 – book at handandpalm.co.uk
19:30
Smokey’s King Shufflers
Shipyard Crow’s Nest
The blues band that can go from a whisper to a roar in the blink of an eye leaving audiences breathless. Find out more FREE
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