Things to See and Do in West Cornwall for Christmas and New Year

Have you considered spending the festive period in West Cornwall this year? A Christmas stroll on the beach… See in 2020 on the bustling streets of St Ives. Here are some suggestions of things to see and do this Christmas in West Cornwall:

Christmas in St Ives

St Ives is magical at Christmas! The streets are lit with twinkling lights and the shops have beautiful festive displays in their windows. There’s plenty to do, from Christmas shopping in the town, to testing local delicious food at the farmer’s market. You can even visit the St Ives Theatre to see a pantomime to get you feeling Christmassy.

This 4 bedroom holiday cottage sleeps up to 8 people and is located in Hayle. It’s the perfect location to stay to visit St Ives!

St Ives Christmas Farmers Market

Visit the Christmas farmers market in St Ives on 23^rdDecember and purchase all of your last-minute gifts and seasonal food and drink for the big day! It takes place in The Guildhall between 9:30 – 2pm, so plenty of time to potter around the market for meat, poultry, dairy products and delicious sweet treats!

Kids R Us Christmas Pantomime at St Ives Theatre

Going to the theatre to see a pantomime is a must at Christmas! On selected dates from Saturday 21^stDecember – Monday 30^thDecember, join the Kids R Us cast at St Ives Theatre. Watch a magical and hilarious re-telling of the famous fairy tale, Sleeping Beauty. The dates to see this fantastic pantomime are listed below:

Book to see Sleeping Beauty from: 21^st, 22^nd, 23^rd, 27^th, 28^th, 29^than 30^thDecember – Book here!

Boxing Day Dip

If you fancy braving the bitter Cornish sea on Boxing Day, head to Porthminster Beach for 12pm and take part in the annual Boxing Day dip! Donate just £1 to charity to join in with this event. Whether you come dressed as Father Christmas, wear your wetsuit or brave the sea in just your swimming costume, it’ll be a Boxing Day to remember! Afterwards, head to Porthminster Café to warm yourselves back up again with a good cup of tea!

This holiday cottage is located near St Ives. It is perfect to stay in if you’re taking part in the Boxing Day dip! It sleeps up to 4 people and is dog friendly too!

Mousehole

Visit the beautiful Cornish village of Mousehole. See the Mousehole Harbour Lights and join in the festivities at the local pub in the centre of the village for a glass of mulled wine. Potter around the small fishing village and look at all of the beautiful light displays. See which your favourite will be! Don’t forget to bring change to pop in one of the charity boxes to help fund the running of the lights for Christmas 2020!

The lights will be displayed:
14^thDecember: 6:30pm – 11pm
15^thDecember – 4^thJanuary: 5pm – 11pm
* The lights will be dimmed between 8-9pm on 19^thDecember to pay respects to the lives lost in the Penlee Lifeboat Disaster in 1981

Angarrack Christmas Lights

Head to Angarrack, near Hayle, and see the wonderful Christmas lights display across the village. This fantastic community event takes place every year and includes displays from the 12 Days of Christmas sequence. There’s also a number of other Christmas displays to get you in the Christmas spirit! Pop into the Angarrack Inn for a glass of mulled wine and a bite to eat after your walk around the village. Remember to bring small change to put into the charity box to keep the light display going next year.

This holiday cottage near Hayle is a great place to stay to be close to the Angarrack Christmas Lights display. It sleeps up to 4 people >>>

New Year in St Ives

St Ives is known for being one of the top places to see in the new year in the UK. People travel far and wide every year to join in with the new year celebrations at this Cornish seaside town. Get your best fancy dress out be amongst the 30,000 people celebrating the end of 2019 and see in 2020 in the towns street party! Don’t miss the spectacular firework display located on the pier at midnight. In our opinion, it’s definitely one of the best places to be in Cornwall to see in the new year!

Take a look at this holiday cottage which overlooks the sea over St Ives. It even has a hot tub!