Six new designs have appeared on the Prom for summer 2026!
Six new flag designs have made an appearance on Penzance Promenade and in the town centre for the 2026 season and the colours really pop, even on a grey day!
The flags have been created in a collaboration between Newlyn-based artist Stevie McCrindle at Sea Moor Cornwall and the team at Sailflags based in Goldsithney.
Stevie’s work is rooted in the ancient Japanese art form of Gyotaku, a traditional fish printing process which she has given a modern contemporary Cornish twist! Working closely with fishermen, she uses locally caught fish from Newlyn, the surrounding Cornish waters and the Isles of Scilly to create artworks which explore not only the beauty of the fish themselves, but also a wider narrative of heritage, fishing community and sustainability surrounding them.
Painting directly onto the fish, Stevie then covers her subject with paper to create a direct impression or print. Her own contemporary interpretation comes through the embellishment process afterwards, where she works fine lines into the print depicting what she sees, feels and knows about the subject through colour, texture and with her elaborate details.
Speaking about her work, Stevie commented:
“The work has naturally evolved into something much broader than simply fish printing. Everything I create is deeply connected back to Newlyn, its fishing heritage and the concept of ‘continuing the journey’.
“The fish used for printing are eaten afterwards rather than wasted, with bones, skins and even ash continuing into other creative processes, including Raku pots and goblets in collaboration with local ceramicist Sally Tully, alongside further collaborations with vineyards and local businesses.
“What interests me most is connecting people back to provenance, place, materials and the sea, whilst celebrating Newlyn’s heritage in a way that feels both respectful and forward-thinking.”
Once Stevie’s designs were finalised, the creative process then passed to the team at Sailflags who were set the challenge of turning them into 3-metre-high flags that can stand up to the stiff sou’west winds that blow in from the Atlantic!
Sailflags’ manufacture all their flags and banners using recycled fabric and are themselves doing great things for local wildlife – they are plating trees in a small woodland near their premises in Goldsithney which has become a haven for lots of local species.
Production photos: Sailflags
All flags across the town are supported by a season-long rigging contract so that damaged flags can be retrieved and repaired and, when weather conditions dictate, the promenade flags are brought in to protect them. This contract has been awarded to High Maintenance SouthWest for the 2026 season.
Mayor of Penzance, Cllr Andy Law, commented:
“I am so excited about the new flags! The appearance of flags on the Prom signals the imminent arrival of Golowan and the Summer.
“I am particularly pleased, as a proud resident of Newlyn, at the prospect of Stevie McCrindle’s amazing Gyotaku creations flying high above me as I walk from Newlyn into Penzance. I had promised myself one of her Gyotaku creations as a present to myself to celebrate my retirement…… I’d better hurry into her shop before they all sell!
“Congratulations Penzance Council and all the local contractors involved in making this project a reality.”
Penzance Council is proud to work alongside local artists and local contractors to deliver the town flag and promenade banner projects across Penzance each year.
Typically, the flag installations lasted for a single season of use due to their exposure to varying weather conditions in the locations where they are installed. A key target of the Council has been to explore options that would extend the lifespan of the project, and 2026 is the first year where we see if we can make many of the flags last for a second season. So, many of last year’s flags will be flying alongside Stevie’s brand new designs in town and on the Prom this summer.
