A celebration of a small but mighty fish, the inaugural Cornish Sardine Festival in Newlyn was a sizzling success!
Held over the August Bank Holiday weekend and a collaboration between the Cornish Sardine Management Association, Newlyn Harbour Lights and restaurant Argoe, this new event was a modern tribute to a timeless industry. It was more than just a food festival; it was a testament to the community's passion for its fishing heritage and a chance to get up close with the very heart of the fleet. From the smell of sardines grilling on the harbour wall to stepping aboard the boats that caught them, the festival brought together fishermen, chefs, and the public in a vibrant, unforgettable celebration.
The harbour was all set...
the sails were set...
the artists were nearly set...
Argoe restaurant was all set...
thanks to Gus, the Sardine Association was all set...
and the scene was set...
for the very first Cornish Sardine Festival...
in a short space of time, Clare Bowen's canvas was well underway...
with a choice of the modern boats...
or the traditional luggers to paint...
in this instance, the 143 year old Barnabas...
providing another local marine artist, Tim Hall to capture Clare capturing the scene...
meanwhile, Argoe's head chef Angus was busy running the day's sumptuous sardine dishes past the staff...
and that Newlyn Harbour Lights stalwart and ex-Swordfish Inn landlord, Pete Bell was busy icing up the day's beers, ably assisted by better half Marcia who was way too busy to be caught on camera...
not so the girls manning the Harbour Lights bar for the day...
superb sardine festival posters, hats and t-shirts sold like hotcakes...
the brains behind FishyFilaments, Ian Falconer was on hand...
to promote his latest offering by way of virtually indestructible shades designed with seafarers and surfers in mind, a mix of recycled Newlyn fishing nets and carbon fibre...
Chris Ranger, the man behind the pioneering artisanal cannery, Cornish Canning...
was on hand to tell tales of tinned fish including locally caught MSC Cornish sardines......
top prize in the raffle was a trip aboard a sardine boat to see first hand how the boys do it...
meanwhile, staff at Argoe were preparing themselves for a busy day serving chilled drinks as the glorious weather saw the temperature creep towards 30˚...
sardines selling like proverbial hotcakes meant there were regular visits to the cold store to stock up with more fish...
as the number of visitors grew in the sunny weather...
the Fish Mish was on hand doing their thing...
while down on the pontoons the Lyonesse was all set to receive visitors and tell how the fleet of ultra modern boats ensures the best possible product comes aboard during the catching process...
and the man who surely claimed the record for the greatest distance travelled to the event surely went to Grant Leaworthy from Tasmania who had this to say:
"The inaugural Cornish Sardine Festival was brilliant and something we wish to replicate in Tasmania as we develop the sardine fishery there. We need to grow the pie of seafood consumption in Australia."
wishing you every success with your sardine endeavours Grant!...
one of the local shags was behind himself trying to get some harbour prawns from this pot...
before fisherman-in-the making Jack hauled it...
another local artist, Jeremy Saunders was on hand to capture the spirit of the day on canvas, one of his works will be in the Harbour Lights Xmas auction later this year...
the very essence of the day, freshly caught just hours ago Cornish sardines, good to go...
on the BBQ...
standalone or on a crusty pizza base...
it's all hands aboard the Lyonesse, telling tall fishy stories no doubt...
young Jack savouring a fresh sardine from the Cornwall Sardine Management Association stand.....
if you want to get ahead, get a hat, or in this case, a fish head - painted especially on the day by a visitor - and a bet that Chris wouldn't wear it on the day!...
this time it was the boats for Jeremy...
Mr Sardine himself and MC for the day, the Cornish Sardine Association and Seafish's Gus Caslake, the driving force behind the festival...
there were smiles of delight as everyone ate, "the best sardines they have ever tasted"...
all thanks to Angus and his team...
yet another satisfied customer...
there was a music stage on both days...
while old...
not so old...
and the very young feasted on thousands of sardines...
endlessly coming off the charcoal grills...
feeding those magnificent volunteers from the Newlyn Association and others without whom the day would not have been possible👏👏...
including Gus sneaking a moment to grab a plateful...
this was a chance to better inform the public about the sustainability of the fishery and especially all the health benefits from eating oily fish like sardines...
and so, at the end of the Sunday, it was time for a huge 'Cheers!' to one and all...
as Newlyn turned on the perfect crepuscule light which is what drew those artists to create the Newlyn School all those years ago...
and let the party begin!