St Ives September Festival 2025
Come to St Ives this September and celebrate music and the arts with us. Every year, the St Ives September Festival takes over the town, with musicians, performers and artists in every venue and on every street.
We love this lively fortnight, and we’ve put together a visitors’ guide to the Festival for you. We hope to see you here!
What is the St Ives September Festival?
The St Ives September Festival of Music and the Arts started life in 1978. There have been a few hiccups since, but the Festival has not only survived, it’s thrived, and has grown into a major event in the Cornish calendar.
Its premise hasn’t changed over the decades. The Festival continues to celebrate visual and performing arts, from exhibitions to film showings, pub gigs to classical concerts. Immerse yourself in Festival life by joining a workshop or a guided tour, or by simply letting your feet gently jig as you walk down the busker-filled streets.
When is the 2025 St Ives September Festival?
The Festival is held over two weeks every September, and in 2025, it runs from Saturday 13 September until Saturday 27 September. That’s 15 fun-filled days this year, and we can’t wait!
The 2025 programme is the usual blend of ticketed and just-turn-up events. The St Ives September Festival website is super-helpful, breaking down the programme by both date and type of event, making sure you can easily find what you need to know. You can also book your place at ticketed events via the website.
What’s on at the St Ives Festival for 2025?
There’s a lot to look forward to in the 2025 festival programme, including last night headliners Fascinating Aida, the famous, whip-smart cabaret trio. The Countrymen open the show on the night of the 13th, and they’re followed over the fortnight by musicians including Steve Knightly (Show Of Hands), Martin Simpson and Martha Tilston. Look out for fabulous local performers like Molly Hocking and Bailey Tomkinson.
Then there are comedy nights at the Arts Club, film screenings (try to catch director Mark Jenkin at the showing of his award-winning Enys Men), talks, interviews and guided tours. You won’t be able to miss the free art exhibitions and pop-up installations across the town during the Festival, alongside the many buskers and street performers.
Where is the September Festival taking place?
The St Ives September Festival is held in venues across town, from pubs to the parish church. This year, we’re especially excited to see acts in the newly refurbished St Ives Theatre, which reopened only last April following a major renovation. (The Guildhall, that favourite festival stalwart, is having its own glow-up this year so is taking a break from hosting performances.)
Everywhere gets involved, from the community orchard at the top of the town to the pubs and bars by the harbour. You’ll find things going on at the School of Painting, the cinema, the library and the museum, while galleries from the Tate to the smallest independents host special exhibitions.
Take a look at the venues for the 2025 St Ives September Festival.
Can I stay in St Ives during the September Festival?
Be at the heart of the action by staying in St Ives itself during the festival. Our lovely new property, White Mist Cottage, is a former fisherman’s cottage in the old back streets of St Ives, sleeping four. Benjamin’s Bolthole is a beautifully presented traditional terraced cottage in Wesley Place, again sleeping four guests. If there’s just the two of you, The Old Salthouse studio is cosy perfection, housed in an old pilchard curing cellar in the beachside Barnaloft complex.
Is the St Ives September Festival fun with friends?
If you’re planning a group holiday for family and friends, the festival fortnight is a brilliant time to come to St Ives – there’ll simply be so much for you all to do! Book one of our larger St Ives holiday properties, such as the four-bedroomed, three-storey Maranatha in Back Road East.
Picture House sleeps five guests, again in the popular Wesley Place. We love the curated art collection in this luxury property. Three-bedroomed Secret Cottage is tucked away off Fore Street itself – you can’t get much more central than that! This hidden gem even has its own private courtyard garden in the middle of town.
Staying in St Ives for the September Festival
Are you coming to St Ives for the festival? We have a selection of luxury holiday cottages and apartments in the centre of St Ives, including the lovely properties we’ve already mentioned.
The Mermaid Seafood Restaurant
Mermaid Seafood Restaurant, Fish Street, Saint Ives, UK