About Golowan
Where we are now
Our commitment to a community festival
In 2016, Penzance Council decided that a charity or community interest company should take on the role of running the Golowan Festival rather than the council itself.
Golowan Festival CIC won the tender to run Golowan, and is contracted to run the festival until 2024.
The Golowan team consists of two festival directors and one associate director.
The Golowan Team
Alan Shepherd
Following four years as a director of Rough Coast Community Arts, including two years as Chair of the St Ives September Festival, Alan was appointed festival director by Penzance Council in 2015.
As one of the founding directors of Golowan Festival CIC in 2016, Alan has been involved in the running of the festival ever since. Formerly the chief executive of Cornwall Marine Network and chair of Penwith Housing Association, he is currently chair of Cornwall Rural Community Charity (CRCC) and chair of Coast FM, West Cornwall’s community radio station.
A poet, artist and accountant, Alan has run a weekly music night at The Crown in Penzance since 2013, and within Golowan, his specific responsibilities include finance, bid-writing and entertainment.
Martin Venning
Martin grew up in Penzance and first engaged with Golowan in the late 1990s as a warm up DJ for the bands performing in the festival marquee. In 2013, he joined the Golowan team as onsite markets manager and has been involved with Golowan every year since, He is currently the operations director.
Martin continues to work with the traders and is also responsible for event planning, road closures, health and safety and operations. Martin has more than 15 year’s experience in event production and has roles at other festivals and events in the UK throughout the year.
Kim Tilbrook
Kim Tilbrook
Kim joined the Golowan team in late 2023, taking over from Nadine Toner. Thanks to Nadine for all her hard work over the last few years.
Kim’s role is to bring people, artists, community and organisations together to deliver Golowan and to ensure that everyone gets to hear about it.
Kim has more than 30 years’ experience producing and performing in Outdoor Arts, arts events, festivals and community projects. She is a member of the Lafrowda Festival committee and co-director of Red Herring Productions.
Kim will be collaborating with schools, artists and community groups to organise the Mazey Day parades, recruiting and coordinating the festival volunteers, directing communications and alongside Laura Jewell, managing the festival website, social media and the design and content of the festival printed programme.
Many other individuals and groups are crucial members of the wider Golowan Team, these include artists, performers, volunteers, staff and pupils from local schools and many more. Without the involvement and support of so many the festival would not take place.
Golowan Festival CIC has a commitment to:
Provide an inclusive community event which celebrates the distinctive identity of Penzance and Cornwall, part of the Celtic fringe.
Collaborate with the owners of event venues to put on a range of events covering diverse genres.
Deliver free community events over the Mazey Day weekend which traditionally is the heart of the community’s midsummer and Feast of St John celebration.
Proud to be awarded the 2016 What’s On Cornwall Awards: Best Family Event
Our supporters and sponsors
