Penzance's Montol Festival

The Montol Festival is an annual heritage, arts and community festival in Penzance, held between the 14th and 22nd of December each year. The festival is a revival or reinterpretation of many of the traditional Cornish midwinter traditions & Christmas traditions formerly practiced in and around the Penzance area.

During the festival there are a series of workshops dedicated to the making of Lanterns which are used in a large lantern parade on 20 December in Penzance Town Centre followed by the lighting of a beacon at Lescudjack Hill Fort one of the most ancient sites in the Penzance parish.

At the very core of the festival are several of the revived customs of the West Cornwall area including, Penglaz the Penzance 'Obby 'Oss, Guise dancing, the Cornish candle dance and the performance of Cornish Christmas carols also feature heavily during the festivities.

Videos of Penzance and Newlyn's Montol Festival