Short answer: The old Newlyn Fish Festival has not run since about 2019. The Cornish Sardine Festival, first held over the August bank holiday weekend in 2025 and again in 2026, now fills that slot at Newlyn harbour. No 2027 dates are announced. The bank holiday weekend is 28 to 30 August 2027, but check before you go.
If you are searching for the Newlyn Fish Festival, here is the useful part first: the old festival has not run for several years, and the August bank holiday weekend in Newlyn is now taken by a newer event, the Cornish Sardine Festival. We have looked at what each one is and what to expect in 2027.
The Newlyn Fish Festival was held on the August bank holiday for many years, with fish auctions, cooking demonstrations and stalls around the harbour. A 2022 local blog post says it was abandoned by 2019 because of a major transformation of the fish market and then the Covid lockdowns. It reports that a community meeting was called that December to discuss a revival, but the post does not say what happened next. We found no evidence of the old fish festival being held since.
The Cornish Sardine Festival in Newlyn had its first edition over the August bank holiday weekend in 2025. A local blog says it was organised by the Cornish Sardine Management Association, Newlyn Harbour Lights and the restaurant Argoe. Visitors could:
It ran again in 2026 on the bank holiday weekend, in the harbour. A local post covered its final day, Sunday 30 August 2026.
No 2027 dates have been announced. The pattern is the August bank holiday weekend. The bank holiday Monday in 2027 is 30 August, so the weekend would be Saturday 28 to Monday 30 August. Do not treat that as confirmed until the organisers publish it. A Fishing News report on revival ideas also floated a multi-day event in late summer or early autumn, so the timing could change.
We could not find a published ticket price for the Sardine Festival. For the old Fish Festival, one listing from about 2019 gave adult entry as £5 with children under 16 free, but that is an old figure for a different event. Check with the organisers.
Newlyn is a working harbour and parking is tight on a bank holiday. We have not found 2027 parking arrangements. Penzance is next door, with its own car parks, and our Penzance parking guide lists them. You can reach Newlyn on foot or by bus from there. Read our Mousehole parking guide if you want to continue along the coast, and our Penzance to Mousehole walk and bus guide.
Newlyn Harbour is rated 4.6 from 97 Google reviews, and one reviewer calls it a bustling working fishing town with fantastic fish shops. Two shops on The Strand are worth a look:
For a sit-down seafood meal, Argoe is rated 4.8 from 399 Google reviews. Reviewers praise the scallops and spider crab and say to book ahead. Its listing shows it closed on Sundays and Mondays, which matters for a bank holiday weekend, so check opening times and book early.
The Penzance page and Mousehole page cover the area. If you are here in winter, our Penlee lifeboat memorial guide and Tom Bawcock's Eve guide describe two of the area's most moving events. Beaches are covered in best beaches near Penzance.
A local blog post reports on the second day of the 2026 festival, Sunday 30 August 2026, part of the August bank holiday weekend. That puts the final day on Sunday 30 August 2026. The post is a photo diary and does not mention admission, parking or opening times.
What it did describe:
The weather matters for planning: a yellow weather warning was in place, but the post says showers were brief and the evening was dry. It is an open-air harbour event, so bring a waterproof jacket and shoes with a good grip, because quaysides and pontoons are wet and uneven. The post called the turnout brilliant, so expect crowds near the grills at lunchtime.
We still have no confirmed 2027 dates, so the bank holiday weekend pattern described earlier is still only a guess. Check the organisers before booking travel.
Besides Argoe, covered above, there are several harbour pubs. Ratings and counts are from Google.
Book anywhere you want to sit down for a meal on a festival weekend, and expect queues for the harbour grills. Our Penzance parking guide explains where to leave a car, and the Penzance page and Mousehole page cover the nearby towns.
Not as far as we can find. A 2022 local post says it was abandoned by 2019, and we found no later edition.
A harbour festival in Newlyn with grilled sardines, boat visits, music, art and talks. It started in 2025.
Not announced. It has been held over the August bank holiday weekend, which is 28 to 30 August 2027.
We could not find a published price. Check with the organisers.
Parking is tight. Penzance is next door and has car parks, with buses and walking routes to Newlyn.
A local blog post covers Sunday 30 August 2026 as the final day of the 2026 festival.
Fresh catch grills, historic luggers and ring netters on the quays, fish printing and a full afternoon of live music, according to a local blog.
Reviewers describe The Fisherman's Arms bar and The Swordfish Inn as dog friendly. Ask when you arrive.
Its Google listing shows it closed on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, so it is not open on the bank holiday weekend Sunday or Monday.
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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