Be a Friend of Golowan!

Posted on 07/02/2012

Become a friend of Golowan and help to ensure that we have a wonderful festival in 2012 with something for everyone.

There are opportunities for everyone to get behind Golowan in 2012 and enjoy the benefits that this unique and much anticipated festival brings to Penzance each year.  Whether you are an individual or a small or large business, we have designed a package of sponsorship benefits to ensure you get the most from Golowan.

At Golowan 2012 they’ll be something for everyone and whether it’s music, film, song or theatre we have an exciting programme ahead.

Check out our website over the next month or two to hear about more events including our very own Golowan GOlympics!   And let us know if you want to be a Friend of Golowan!

Please contact the Golowan Team for more information.
www.golowan.org    email Golowan@hotmail.co.uk or phone 01736 369686
or 07518 603955

Volunteers 2012

Posted on 18/01/2012

Golowan depends on all our wonderful volunteers to deliver the amazing festival that we all enjoy so much. It is great fun to get involved – and its nice to play a part in making it happen. This year we will be needing even more support from volunteers than ever before – stewarding the Golympics games, collecting/can rattling in the streets and at gigs to raise a bit more desperately needed cash from visitors, selling merchandise, marshalling and stewarding the streets, entertainments and parades etc etc ….the list is endless!
Those of you who have been a  volunteer for a year or two will have lots of ideas about how we can do it even better and what we need to change. So whatever you have in mind let us know! We will delighted to hear from you.
We will start calling for volunteers in a while. In the meantime, have a great New Year and look forward to seeing you!

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Click the link below to see larger images

Volunteers Gallery

 

Applying for a pitch at Mazey Day and Quay Fair Day

Posted on 10/01/2012

If you wish to apply for a pitch at this year’s Mazey Day and Quay Fair Day, please click the link below to download the form and return it to the Golowan office.

“We are sorry that we have had to temporarily remove the application forms from our website in the light of new information from Cornwall Council regarding street trading licences. We hope to reinstate them shortly. Please check in a few days. If you have already submitted your forms and payment, we will not process either until the situation is clarified. You will be advised of any changes.”

Stalls Manager, Golowan Festival Office, The Barbican, Battery Road, Penzance TR18 4EF.

Tel. 01736 369686, 07518 603955

Go! Go! Go! GOLympics!

Posted on 29/11/2011

Festival Director, Andy Hazlehurst, looks to Golowan 2012.

The 2011 Golowan is still regarded by many as one of the best ever – if not the best – culminating in the fantastic record-breaking Pirates on the Prom event.  Many people have asked us to do it again and, no doubt we will, especially if Hastings or anyone else takes the record away from us. But 2012 is special.

2012 is the year the Olympic Games comes to the UK and, not to be outdone by that little event in London, the Olympics will not only be the theme running through the festival, but Penzance will be hosting the very first Golowan Games. On Quay Fair Day, the 24th June, the GOLympics will be held at our own state-of-the-art venue, the Penzance Prom.

We are looking for suggestions for the daftest, whackiest games that you would like to see, or, better still, take part in. Look out for Cornish wrestling, the pasty eating race, tossing the hay bale, crazy raft racing, welly wanging, and much, much more.

The sky’s the limit (or maybe it’s not), so keep those suggestions coming in!

www.golowan.org. Email Golowan@hotmail.co.uk or phone 01736 369686 or 07518 603955.

Please complete the form below if you have any whacky suggestions for the games.

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Call for Penzance people to get involved with Golowan

Posted on 02/01/2012

It’s official! Penzance’s Golowan Festival is not only great for the community but also for the local economy, bringing in £1.5m to the region, according to a report commissioned by VisitCornwall. But for 2012, the festival faces its biggest challenge yet: how to deliver another fantastic event but this time without Cornwall Council funding. So, Festival Director, Andy Hazlehurst, is sending out a loud and clear message to all local people and businesses to get involved and help deliver Golowan 2012.

Andy Hazlehurst said: “We want to know what people want from the Festival, but we are also looking for ideas and suggestions to help put Golowan on a sound financial foundation, and that includes offering the business community sponsorship and other financial incentives. We are already setting up a Friends of Golowan Group to get people involved and help raise those much needed funds.” Continue reading →

Pirates on the Prom

Posted on 29/11/2011

It’s Official!!!!!
A new world record!

8,734

Well done to all those who took part.

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Click to view more photographs

Now we wait for the official confirmation.

Golowan

Posted on 04/07/2011

History

Midsummer’s Day is the church feast of St John The Baptist, an important day in Penzance’s calendar as St John is the town’s Patron Saint – the ancient name ‘Pen Sans’ meaning ‘Holy Head’ refers to him, and images of the head of St John can be spotted on buildings throughout Penzance.


It has always been an occasion for wild celebration. Historians record that:
The centre of the main streets is a continuous line of blazing tar barrels … about ten o’ clock from the Quay comes a procession of dock labourers and sailors swinging burning torches … the numerous inhabitants form a long string and run furiously through every street vociferating “An eye! An eye! An eye!” The last two of the string elevating their clasped hands form an eye, through which the thread of the populace runs without any regard to the number engaged…

Other traditional elements included the unruly election of a Mock Mayor, and Penglaz, Penzance’s own  ‘Obby ‘Oss. Health & Safety now take a dim view of blazing fires in crowds, but the other traditional rituals are still very much part of the festival of “Golowan” – Cornish for “The Feast of John”.Like many community celebrations Golowan was suppressed in late Victorian times and was all but forgotten for a hundred years. Then in 1991 in the dark days of the last recession a group of local artists and performers, together with Penzance’s Alverton Primary School, revived the festival on the Saturday nearest to St John’s Feast which they called Mazey Day. The streets were decorated and closed to traffic, the school paraded with costumes and giant images made of withies and paper, setting off on the stroke of midday – and it poured! But later the weather relented and a seed was sown which expanded year after year to a full-scale arts and community festival which celebrates its 20th year in 2010.

Continue reading →