This Weekend in Cornwall: 2–4 October 2026

Short answer: The big one is Port Isaac Shanty Weekend (Saturday and Sunday, free). Dog beach bans across Cornwall ended on Thursday, ten parkruns run on Saturday at 9am, and the Falmouth Oyster Festival opens next Thursday.

The headline: Port Isaac Shanty Weekend

Saturday 3 and Sunday 4 October. Free, no tickets, eight venues around the village with the Village Hall as the main stage (listed 1–11pm Saturday, 1–5pm Sunday) and a shanty service at St Peter's at 9:30am on Sunday for the RNLI. Parking is the hard part — arrive in the morning and walk down. Our full guide has the venues and the parking plan.

Also this weekend

• Dogs are back on every beach. The summer bans on all 46 council-restricted beaches ended on Thursday 1 October — Fistral, Porthmeor, Gyllyngvase, Trevone and the rest are open to dogs all day until May. Town by town.
• parkrun, Saturday 9am. Ten free 5k events across the county, from Land's End to Lanhydrock — our guide to all ten.
• Half term is 26–30 October for most Cornish schools; the half-term guide and the Halloween events list are worth a look now that Halloweden (24 Oct–1 Nov) and Bodmin Jail's October programme are confirmed.

Next week

• Falmouth Oyster Festival, Thursday 8 to Sunday 11 October — free by day on Events Square, ticketed music at night. Guide.
• Mevagissey Shanty Festival, 16–18 October, with the gala night on the 15th. Guide.
• Eden's ice rink opens 17 October.

If it rains

October delivers. Cornwall's indoor pools for the kids, and every town guide has a rainy-day plan.

Times and programmes are the organisers' to change — check the official page before you travel. Spotted something we've got wrong? Tell us and we'll fix it.