Short answer: Lafrowda Day is always the third Saturday of July, which makes it Saturday 17 July 2027. The St Just community festival runs for two weeks around it. The day has three parades with willow sculptures, two music stages, food stalls and an evening lantern procession. Village roads are closed, so arrive early and expect crowds of around 10,000.
Lafrowda Day is the high point of a two-week community arts festival in St Just in Penwith, the most westerly town in mainland Britain. The streets close, willow sculptures parade, and in the evening the children carry lanterns. It is worth planning for, because the town is small and the roads are shut.
Lafrowda Day is always held on the third Saturday of July. In 2027 that is Saturday 17 July. The festival activities run for the two weeks leading up to it, so expect events from early July. The organisers have not published the 2027 programme, so check the Lafrowda Festival website for the theme and the timetable.
One local guide says the day centres on live music, stalls, parades and a torchlit procession, with around 10,000 visitors. Details to expect:
Local schoolchildren spend weeks making costumes and props with local artists, so the processions are community-built rather than professional.
Plain-an-Gwarry is a historic outdoor "playing place" in the village centre, once used for medieval miracle plays. On Lafrowda Day it hosts children's entertainment, including performances, bouncy castles and workshops. It is a good base if you have young children.
The wider festival has free family activities, including dance shows, knit and natter, themed workshops, gravity buggy racing and talent shows. The festival is run by a registered charity, and 2016 was its 20th year.
Yes. The village roads are completely closed on the day, so you cannot drive into the centre. We have not found published parking arrangements for 2027. Plan to park on the edge of St Just and walk, or come early. If you would rather park in Penzance and take a bus, see our Penzance parking guide and check bus times in advance.
The Square café on Market Square is rated 4.6 from 126 Google reviews. Reviewers praise the pizza, the loaded fries and the salads. Its listing shows it open 8am to 8pm Monday to Saturday and closed on Sundays, though festival day hours may differ. On Lafrowda Day the town has food stalls throughout, so you can also eat on the street.
Children are a central part of the day, and the Plain-an-Gwarry has activities for them. Crowds are heavy in the narrow streets, so keep dogs on short leads or leave them at home.
No 2027 bus notice has been published yet. As a guide, First Cornwall issued a notice in 2024 for the festival: roads closed from 3pm on the Friday until 11pm on the Saturday, services 17 and the Lands' End Coaster were diverted, and buses could not serve St Just Bus Station. Service 17 ran its normal route past Semmens oil supplies, then turned right onto New Road at the Tregeseal turn and rejoined the usual route at the bottom of Nancherrow Hill.
In practice, that could mean you are dropped on the edge of the town rather than in the centre, so expect a walk. The 2024 notice covered a Friday and Saturday, so check whether First Cornwall publishes a similar notice for 17 July 2027 and which stops are used. A separate access guide from the Cornish Mining World Heritage Site lists buses 8 and 17E between Penzance and St Just, though you should confirm current timetables.
Coming by bus saves the parking problem. The last bus times matter after the lantern procession, so check them before you leave Penzance. Our Penzance parking guide covers leaving a car in Penzance, and the Penzance page has the rest of the town. Cornish Mining's guide says St Just's town car park is free, with a 2 metre height limit and public toilets (no accessible toilet), though it may be affected by closures.
The Cornish Mining access guide to St Just town gives useful detail for a normal day, though it does not cover the festival crowds. It describes the roads near the centre and car park as relatively level with only slight gradients, and the walk from the car park to the centre (180m) as a slight gradient. Granite pavements are flat and even with dropped kerbs, but narrow in places. There are seats around the town centre.
No festival-specific accessibility plan has been published for 2027, so email the Lafrowda Festival organisers through their website before you travel. Our Penzance flat access guide is a good companion for the rest of your trip.
St Just is small, and the centre is crowded for the parades, so it helps to know where to step off the street. The Star Inn on Fore Street, on the square, is rated 4.7 from 364 Google reviews and is listed as open from midday to midnight every day. Reviewers describe a local pub with St Austell ales, mining and maritime photos, a spacious garden at the back and open mic nights on Thursdays. Several say it does not serve food, so eat elsewhere, such as the Square cafe above, or at the food stalls.
Expect any pub on the route to be packed between the parades, with queues at the bar. If you want a seat, go before midday or after the afternoon parades. The lantern procession in the evening is the part many visitors stay for, so a pub garden is a handy place to wait if the weather holds.
If it rains, bring a waterproof. Parades are held outdoors and we have found no wet-weather plan from the organisers. Land's End and Sennen are a short drive away for a quieter hour afterwards, and our Penzance parking guide helps if you base yourself in town.
Lafrowda Day is the third Saturday of July, so Saturday 17 July 2027. The organisers have not published the 2027 programme.
Three parades with willow sculptures, music on two stages, stalls, children's entertainment and an evening torchlit lantern procession.
Yes, the village roads are completely closed on the day.
Parades and street events are open to watch, and the festival offers free family activities. Check the programme for ticketed events.
About two weeks, leading up to Lafrowda Day on the third Saturday of July.
In 2024 First Cornwall diverted services 17 and the Lands' End Coaster and buses could not serve St Just Bus Station. No 2027 notice has been published yet.
No 2027 parking plan has been published. St Just's town car park is free with a 2 metre height limit, but village roads are closed on the day.
The pavements are flat but narrow in places, and the Plain-an-Gwarry has level access. There is no accessible public toilet in the car park, and no festival access plan has been published.
The Star Inn on the square is rated 4.7 from 364 Google reviews. Reviewers say it serves drinks only, so eat elsewhere.
Times, prices and dates are the businesses' and organisers' to change, so check before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.
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