Short answer: Penzance's Humphry Davy Lantern Parade is held in mid-December, close to Davy's birthday on 17 December. In 2025 it was on Friday 12 December: the parade started at St John's Hall, went down Market Jew Street to the Humphry Davy statue, and pupils from eight schools carried handmade lanterns. The 2026 date has not been announced.
Of all the lantern parades in Cornwall, this is the one with a story. Humphry Davy, Penzance's most famous son and the inventor of the miners' safety lamp, was born on 17 December 1778, so the town marks the run-up to his birthday with a parade of lanterns to his statue at the top of Market Jew Street. The tradition began in 2021 and has grown each year.
The 2026 date has not been announced. The parade has been on a Friday in the second week of December, so expect something similar, but confirm with Penzance BID or Penzance Town Council (Penlee Centre, 01736 363405). The Christmas lights switch-on is listed for Saturday 28 November 2026, and Mousehole's Harbour Lights run from 10 December: see Penzance lights switch-on 2026 and Montol and the Mousehole lights.
The parade ends at the statue, where the crowd gathers for the song, so the area around it fills early. Arrive 20 minutes before the start, keep to the pavements as Market Jew Street closes, and let children stand at the front. If it is too busy at the statue, you can still see the lanterns coming down the street from the pavement further along the route.
Streets along Market Jew Street close for the parade. Our Penzance parking guide lists the car parks, and Penzance station is a short walk down the hill, which is the easiest way in on a December evening.
Chapel Street, a short walk from the route, has most of the town's good restaurants and pubs, and Market Jew Street has cafes. For ideas see the Penzance town page, where to find the best pasty in Penzance and what is open in Penzance in winter.
All the county's lantern parades, in date order: Lantern parades in Cornwall 2026.
The 2026 date has not been announced. In 2025 it was on Friday 12 December, shortly before Davy's birthday on 17 December.
In 2025 it started at St John's Hall in Penzance and went down Market Jew Street to the Humphry Davy statue.
Penzance BID organised and sponsored the 2025 event, with support from Penzance Town Council.
The 2025 report did not say how to take part. Ask Penzance BID or Penzance Town Council (01736 363405), and watch for school lantern workshops in early December.
Dates, prices and times are the organisers' to change — check the official page before you travel or book. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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