Today saw the Civic Parade and Feast of St John Service in Penzance, in which the severed head of St John the Baptist was carried through town to mark the start of the week-long Golowan Festival!
The 2026 Golowan Festival officially got underway in Penzance today (Sunday 21 June) with the first parade of the town’s week-long celebration of art, music, heritage and culture. The festival is officially opened every year with the Feast of St John Civic Parade and Service – complete with the severed head of the town’s patron saint!
2026 marks the 36th year of the festival’s revival and the theme for this year is “Forever Flying High”, which celebrates everything that soars above Penzance, from seabirds over Mounts Bay to the Scilly helicopter, from Cornish sky spirits to bold visions of future flight.
The name Penzance translates from the Cornish/Kernewek name Pennsans as ‘Holy Head’ and refers to the headland of granite that extends from the hills into Mounts Bay (the area from St Mary’s Church down to St Anthony Gardens and Jubilee Pool).
Using the story of John the Baptist as its basis, the Penzance Borough Seal was created and adopted in 1614 and literally was a Holy Head – St John’s head! A very clever pun on the town’s place name which linked St John to Penzance. The seal, now known as the Old Borough Seal, was used on all official documents up until 1934 when the current Penzance Coat of Arms was granted by the Kings Arms in London.
Carrying the ceremonial severed head of St John on a plate, the Civic Parade set off from St John’s Hall at 10.40am and made its way through the centre of Penzance to St John the Baptist Church for the annual Feast of St John Service.
Led by Penzance Silver Band, around 60 dignitaries joined the procession with Mayor of Penzance, Cllr Andy Law, who commented:
“I look forward to Golowan like a cuckoo looks forward to Spring. The colour, variety and sheer joy that this festival brings to the streets of the Parish, with its parades, music, art and culture, along with the vibrancy of the crowds is a total pleasure to behold and be a part of. As the new Town Mayor, I am so proud of Penzance Council’s support for this most important of events and would like to extend our grateful thanks to the whole team at Golowan CIC and all the hard-working individuals who make Golowan possible. Penzance and the surrounding areas are indeed flying high!”
After the ancient Feast of St John midsummer celebrations stopped happening in Penzance at the end of the 19th century, the tradition was revived in 1991 as a one-day celebration – Mazey Day. With the continuing support of Penzance Council, Golowan has grown over the years into a week-long festival, with Mazey Day still at its heart and now attracting tens of thousands of people to the town.
The main day of the festival next Saturday, 27 June, sees the Mayor and Mock Mayor address the crowds from the Mayors’ Platform at around 10:30am followed by the 11am, 1pm, and 3pm parades where hundreds of participants from schools and community groups showcase their giant wicker models to the tune of marching bands.
As well as the parades, street entertainment and stalls on Mazey Day, this year sees the return of last year’s pilot event area in Penlee Park, where there will be entertainment and activities for all ages, as well as food stalls, a bar, craft stalls and the Tree Lounge hang out space for young people, organised by PZN Youth.
Penzance Council is proud to support Golowan through partnership and funding of Golowan Festival CIC, who won the tender to run the festival and is contracted to deliver it until 2027.
