LOWENDER Festival will bring Redruth to life From Thursday to Sunday (October 15 to 18), with international Celtic and Cornish live music, dance, family-friendly activities, Cornish language and singing sessions.

The festival provides a platform to support emerging local musicians and dance teams, as well as bringing the finest acts from the wider Celtic world to Cornwall. A packed programme includes performances and dance sessions from over 200 artists, including world-renowned acts such as Duo Landat Moisson from Brittany, Scran from Isle of Man and Mari Mathias from Wales, as well as Cornish favourites like Mike O’Connor and Barbara Griggs, Red River Singers and Dalla Duo Hilary Coleman and Neil Davey.

The event will take place across multiple venues, including the Redruth Community Centre, Redruth Wesley, The Ladder and St Andrews Church. The Buttermarket will offer daytime and evening events for all the family, including wrestling displays, a family ceilidh and the opportunity to groove into the night to Celtic sounds fuelled by a flavour-packed meal from one of its international kitchens on Thursday and Friday.

Festival organiser Jowdy Davey said: “We're proud of Cornwall's Celtic heritage and the longstanding connections we share with other Celtic nations, so it's a real privilege to welcome the Celtic world to Cornwall through this international festival.

“We’re bringing together world-class performers, cultural exchange opportunities and the languages, traditions and creativity that unite us, inspiring the next generation who are shaping the future of our Celtic communities.”

Further cultural experiences include a Cornish language session at Rose Cottage on Thursday, October 15 at 6pm, in which speakers - fluent and beginners alike - can immerse themselves in Kernewek in a relaxed environment.

And on Saturday, October 17 at 2.30pm, at The Ladder in Redruth, you can hear what each of the Celtic languages sounds like when new works of poetry and prose are read by fluent speakers both in their original Celtic tongues and in English translation. Hosted by The Writers’ Block, The Celtic Languages in Translation event will see Cornish translator Elizabeth Ellis joined by counterparts in Scottish Gaelic, Manx, Irish, Welsh and Breton.

To view the full festival programme and purchase tickets, visit www.lowender.co.uk/festival/.