Padstow Christmas Festival: chefs, markets and harbour fireworks

North Cornwall is a fine place to be year-round, and one of its gems, Bude aside of course, is Padstow. The Padstow Christmas Festival is one of the highlights of the calendar and well worth the drive.

The main marquee fills with Christmas market stalls and a food court — everything from local food and drink (a good few gins among them) to artisan crafts. Two more marquees host cooking demonstrations and shows from the area’s top chefs; if you want to catch Paul Ainsworth or Rick Stein, get in the queue early. With more than sixty chefs and shows across the weekend, there’s plenty to choose from.

Around the festival there’s a Santa fun run and cycle, a carol concert, a grotto, and a children’s lantern parade made by the local schools that leads in Santa’s arrival. The Friday fireworks over the harbour are the moment everyone waits for, and the horse-drawn carriage through the narrow harbourside streets brings a bit of the past back.