The Falmouth spring festival is a great reason to come down to Cornwall with loads of good events for the entire family.

Run Falmouth half marathon & Fun Run, a Spring Fair, Gardeners’ Question Time, a Zumba Zestifal, Guerrilla Gardening, art workshops, foraging walks, family rockpooling sessions, spring themed exhibitions and talks, and more. Such is the diversity and beauty of Falmouth’s open spaces, gardens and coastline that we will be celebrating it through music, dance, exercise, art andwell, any other creative way we can think of!

www.falmouth.co.uk/see-and-do/falmouth-spring-festival

On Saturday 19 May 2012 the Olympic Torch Relay will start it’s journey around the UK, travelling through Cornwall from Land’s End to Plymouth where the first of the evening celebrations takes place.  The Flame will be carried by Torchbearers in the following towns and villages in Cornwall.

Falmouth will be one of the towns en route. Lots of events to celebrate the relay will take place throughout Cornwall on this day.

www.visitcornwall.com/whats-on/olympic-torch-relay

The Gold Cup will see the UK’s finest Olympic sailor, Ben Ainslie, return to Falmouth and the sailing waters where he learned to sail and made his competitive debut in 1987 during Falmouth Week.

Ainslie is seeking his 3rd Olympic Gold Medal in the Finn class to add to the Gold and Silver Medals he won in the Laser class and any Medal he may win at the forthcoming Olympics will underline his status as one of the UK greatest sailors.

A comprehensive shoreside programme is planned to include spectator ferries to watch the action, a competitors parade, live entertainment, large TV screen and firework display with the aim of celebrating London 2012.

www.falmouthfinnfestival.com

The main aim of this week-long series of events is to bring the arts not only to the local community but to share them with visitors to the village and the Fal River Festival. Arts Week brings together Art, Craft, Music, Film, Theatre, Photography, Animation, Performance and other forms of the arts. The community works together to get as many people as possible in the village to join in with the activities, even if you do not have an artistic background.

There are workshops and open air community arts events suitable for everyone, especially children and families.

www.flushing.org.uk

The festival  embraces the places, people, history, culture and industry connected to this very Cornish river. The festival gives a real chance to engage with life on the river and discover some of its fascinating history.

The ten day festival is a not-for-profit community festival which encompasses over 150 events ranging from music and drama, arts and heritage to gig racing, swimming and wildlife walks. Throughout the festival you’ll find a range of diverse entertainment, including jazz bands playing on the harbour in St Mawes, film screenings on ferries moored offshore and, of course, plenty of seafood to sample.

All the action takes place in Falmouth, Truro and around the Roseland Peninsula.

falriver.co.uk/festival

The Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival will provisionally take place in 2012 on Friday 15th, Saturday 16th and Sunday 17th June.

Times to be confirmed with singing at various venues such as Custom House Quay and Events Square. 2011 was a huge success with singing aboard the historic ship The Matthew and at Trelissick Garden, two new venues. The Falmouth Sea Shanty festival is the largest free festival of maritime music on the planet so don’t miss it.

www.falmouthshout.com

The first J-Class Regatta in the UK since the rebirth of the class is hosted by the Royal Cornwall Yacht Club in Falmouth. This will be the first time in history that more than four of these imposing yachts will race together in a fleet.

In their heyday during the 1930s, the beautiful J Class yachts were the ultimate sailing vessels, reserved for the wealthy elite and idolised by the general public. King George V owned one and was a regular competitor in his yacht Britannia.

Races will be held in Falmouth Bay and along the coastline. Six J Class yachts, each 140 feet in length, weighing around 200 tons and with a crew of up to thirty, are expecting to be ready and prepared for race in June. Enthusiasts from around the world will be coming to Falmouth to view the yachts and watch the racing, which will be reported live around the world. This will be a yachting event not to be missed.

www.jclassfalmouthregatta.com/

The Pendennis Cup returns to Falmouth, Cornwall. Organised by Pendennis Shipyard every two years, the regatta brings an impressive range of superyachts to the waters of Falmouth Bay.

The daily battles of these beautiful yachts will take place against the beautiful backdrop of the Cornish coastline.

The best vantage point to watch the races will be Pendennis Point. The yachts will be moored at Port Pendennis Marina throughout the week and are easily seen from Events Square or from the viewing gallery at the Maritime Museum. The race office on Events Square Falmouth can give you an overview of the participating yachts, performance updates and video of the racing.

www.thependenniscup.co.uk

Visit the largest sailing regatta in the South West with more than 450 yachts racing over eight days along with a lively programme of shore side events.

The week starts with the Falmouth Classics, which sees 150 classic yachts racing in Carrick Roads and Falmouth Bay. This is followed by six days of match racing for keelboats, traditional craft and dinghies.

On the shore there are activities to keep everyone entertained from a marching carnival and a firework display to themed party nights and samba bands, along with lots of activities for the kids.

The best vantage points to view the sailing are: Pendennis and St Mawes Castles, St Anthony Head, Castle Drive and Pendennis Point, Trefusis Point and Flushing. To view the dinghy racing, walk along from Mylor Yacht Harbour towards Restronguet Sailing Club.

www.falmouthweek.co.uk 

Falmouth Oyster Festival celebrates the start of the oyster dredging season, the diversity and quality of Cornish Seafood and, in particular, the last remaining traditional oyster fishery in Europe still dredging by sail and hand punt.

The four day festival is packed with cookery demonstrations by leading local chefs, there are oysters, seafood, wine and local ale to sample along with children’s shell painting, entertainment in the form of sea shanties, a town parade, live music, an oyster shucking competition, a Falmouth Working Boat race and marquees brimming with Cornish produce. The festival is a must for all oyster, seafood and maritime heritage enthusiasts!

www.falmouthoysterfestival.co.uk