Port Eliot Festival is built on words. When the Festival began 15 years ago, it concentrated on books. Nowadays, it’s about music, food, fashion, comedy, art, wellbeing, wildlife and plenty besides, but when Port Eliot arrives at the end of July, there will be more authors, songwriters, poets, comics, thinkers, wordsmiths and phrase-cobblers of one kind or another on the line-up than ever before.

Running from 26-29 July 2018 , Port Eliot Festival takes residence on the park and woodlands of the ancient Port Eliot estate at St Germans on the Rame Peninsula in South East Cornwall. It also finds its way into the indescribable historic House (the oldest continually inhabited dwelling in the country) and into the oldest church in Cornwall. Tickets are yours to be had now at porteliotfestival.com/buy-tickets

There will be plenty more to come between now and July, but among the artists confirmed are:

• Gwenno – We already loved Gwenno before we were transported to sci-fi heights by her live greatness at the festival in 2016. When we heard that her new LP, Le Kov , would be the first to be written and performed entirely in Cornish, her glorious return to St Germans was inked-in destiny.
• Brett Anderson – Many a good judge will have you know that Suede’s most recent LP, Night Thoughts , was up there with their very best. Brett Anderson’s memoir, Coal Black Mornings , has just been published and we are delighted that he’ll be sharing his life story with us.
• Baxter Dury – The creator of one of the great records of 2017 will headline the Caught by the River stage on Thursday 26 July, as part of its biggest opening day of music since the festival began. Prince of Tears is full of vitriol, heartbreak and the unrivalled bravado of ‘Miami’ – aka ‘Mr Maserati’.
• Viv Albertine – Enduringly influential punk guitarist, writer and singer, whose first book, Clothes, Clothes, Clothes, Music, Music, Music, Boys Boys, Boys was a big old hit. Her follow-up, memoir To Throw Away Unopened , is just out.

• Garth Jennings – Screenwriter, film director and author, best known for Sing (2016), Son of Rambow (2007) and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005). He began by making music videos as one of duo Hammer & Tongs, including the crackers for Coffee & TV by Blur and Imitation of Life by REM.
• Reni Eddo-Lodge – Journalist, writer and commentator, whose first non-fiction book, Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race, made the longlist for the prestigious Baillie Gifford Prize for non-fiction and was voted non-fiction book of the year for 2017 by booksellers at Foyles and Blackwells.
• Billy Bragg - Singer-songwriter, activist, author, and now skiffle drum-beater. Billy Bragg will arrive at the Bowling Green with his latest book, Roots, Radicals & Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World , to explore the DIY musical movement that shaped pop music as we know it.
• Robert Webb – half of BAFTA-winning Mitchell & Webb and also of the acclaimed Peep Show. He’ll be coming to the Bowling Green to discuss How Not To Be a Boy , his hilarious and heartbreaking ‘part-memoir, part call-to-arms’, in which he scrutinises the ‘Rules for Being a Man’.

This year, the festival will introduce the Fashion Foundation , a completely new home for fashion and art. Headed by fashion writer and curator, NJ Stevenson , it will wander into all kinds of artistic areas, setting fashion agendas and stimulating creative thinking about the future, particularly around sustainability.

Port Eliot is crafted with families in mind, so deep in a secret part of the woods, our younger visitors will be staging the festival of their lives. Wildlings Wood will be a pocket Port Eliot, where children take part, take to the stage and take over. And there will be a magnificent, parent-soothing bar RIGHT NEXT DOOR!

Port Eliot is one of the most significant homes for poetry of all UK festivals; our new Poetry Stage was the talk of the festival in 2017. Packed throughout, it was a smart illustration of the resurgence of enthusiasm for poetry. This year, curators Luke Wright and Rosy Carrick will be back and joined by Brian Patten , Hollie McNish and a host of others.

One of the great institutions of the festival is the riverside stage of Caught by the River , the online gathering place for all who treasure wildlife, nature, writing, reading, great music and undiscovered heroes. Among the line-up this year are Baxter Dury, Gwenno, Teleman, Nabihah Iqbal, Jim Ghedi, Hannah Peel, Dads on Drugs, Martha Sprackland, Confidence Man, Adelle Stripe, Will Burns, 77:78, Boy Azooga and Stick in the Wheel , each, in their own way, reflecting these healthy obsessions.

Port Eliot takes its food seriously. From the outset, the festival made beautiful food a big part of the line-up, not just a side dish; this year, chefs including Anna Jones, Jack Stein and Russell Norman will make the House’s Georgian Big Kitchen their own and set trends, share techniques and reveal the workings of some of the country’s great kitchens; a new Port Eliot restaurant will sit right at the front of the House; and Devon’s Oyster Shack will make a corner of the Walled Garden its own, serving fresh, locally-sourced and sustainable seafood. And alongside the Shack, Plymouth’s Le Vignoble will serve delightful wines matched to the fresh seafood menu.

Historic rooms, kitchens and nooks in the House become restaurants, tea rooms, galleries and screening rooms; while workshops take place from early morning ‘til end of day, offering late-night astronomy walks and talks, wild swimming, axe-throwing and archery, fermental health, a circus school, a bee trail and breathtaking aerial trapeze lessons cast against the backdrop of the ancient House.

The Ace of Clubs will explode with blues, soul, rock & roll, and, this year, flamenco shows, classical music and theatre but it will also emerge on to the festival park with midnight flying trapeze shows and workshops every day. Next door, the Park hosts music and comedy, including Arthur Smith, Shappi Khorsandi, Kernow King, Tom Wrigglesworth and Tony Law ; and down by the viaduct swagger into The Black Cow Saloon for foot stompin’, honky tonkin’, good time music.

Last year, Lark’s Haven brought the new Yogarena to Lark’s corner, filled with shape throwers, transformational workshops, death cafes and disco-yoga. This year they bring back their Aerial Yoga, SUP classes and other wellness workshops, including gong baths, mindful masculinity sessions and an alcohol-free cocktail bar. The Idler Academy will provide gentle instruction and insight, including, but not limited to, top business tips from John Brown, publisher of Viz and an essential history of the harmonica.

Now, this is serious. When teachers of outdoor resilience, Survival Wisdom , return to the Port Eliot woodlands, to host master-classes and tell stories of adventure, they’ll be bringing a special guest with them. Award-winning actress, Teri Hatcher , will share her own experiences and the skills she has acquired and show how they transferred into her daily life. An accomplished chef, Teri will bring her accessible and insightful food ideas and recipes to the Big Kitchen on festival Saturday too.

There are no off-limits ‘luxury’ areas and no in-your-face sponsors – the ancient estate becomes yours for the weekend. The festival takes its lead and countercultural spirit from the much-loved Elephant Fayre festival, which took place on the same site thirty years before.

Another reason to relish Port Eliot is the opportunity to explore south east Cornwall , an area of the county often ignored by people heading further south west. It’s easy to come and go from Port Eliot, so the beautiful beaches at Whitsand Bay and Downderry , the Rame Head Heritage Coast and the crab salad at the Rod and Line Inn at Tideford are all within easy reach.

Port Eliot Festival co-director, Louis Eliot , said, “This is just the start; a smattering of the artists, bands, wordsmiths, chefs, poets and uncategorisable characters that you already love or soon will. It’s tricky to pick out personal highlights, but the prospect of seeing Brian Patten alongside Hollie McNish on our poetry stage, in only its second year, is a great one. We are excited to announce the debut of the Fashion Foundation, the pocket Port Eliot that is Wildlings Wood and the biggest opening day of music since we began fifteen years ago. The build-up starts now – jump in, get planning and see you in Cornwall in July.”

FESTIVAL INFORMATION

Dates: 26-29 July 2018. Tickets and more information: www.porteliotfestival.com

Venue: Port Eliot Estate, St Germans, Saltash, Cornwall, PL12 5ND

LISTINGS SUMMARY

Running from 26-29 July 2018, Port Eliot Festival takes place at the beautiful, ancient Port Eliot estate at St Germans in South East Cornwall, finding its way into the woodland, park, indescribable historic House and oldest church in Cornwall. Revelling in music, food, fashion, comedy, art, wellbeing, wildlife and plenty besides, there are no off-limits ‘luxury’ areas and no in-your-face sponsors – Port Eliot becomes yours for the weekend Tickets and full info at www.porteliotfestival.com