Golowan Marquee
Golowan Marquee 25.6.26 to 28.6.26
Four days of rabble-rousing merriment from the Mock Mayor elections, live music and DJs to keep you suitably entertained
The Golowan Marquee is back at the Penzance Harbour Car Park, by the Wharfside, which proved to be a hit last for the Penzance party people.
Once again, we promise a diverse and inspiring line-up of entertainment as well as local ales and food concessions.
The entertainment starts on the Thursday with the truly ecentric Mock Mayor elections, a celebration of all things Cornish on Mazey soiree, a punk-infused special on Mazey Day afternoon following by a DJ dance evening then Quay Fair Day with local bands and DJs seeing the Sunday off in fine fashion.
THURSDAY, JUNE 25, 6pm to 11pm
The Mock Mayor Elections and live music
Come down and rev-up for a full‑throttle night of live music, DJs and good vibes. Expect buzzing bars, big sounds and that unmistakable Golowan energy.
The Mock Mayor Elections – a proudly ridiculous Golowan tradition rooted in centuries of Cornish mischief – began as a playful rebellion, locals poking fun at authority, flipping the rules and electing a “mayor” who served only joy and chaos. What started as satire is now one of Golowan’s most beloved rituals: loud, colourful and gloriously unruly, introducing the true Lords of Misrule!
The ceremony is pure festival magic with costumes, characters, humour and a crowd ready to cheer (or boo) with gusto. Candidates create outrageous personas and even wilder manifestos, then face the baying crowd. One shot on stage, win them over or be booed off without mercy. Presiding over the mayhem is the ever‑glorious Lord Justice Socks.
The loudest cheers crown the new Mock Mayor, who joins Penzance’s official mayor to address the town from the Market House steps on Mazey Day.
Feeling brave enough to enter the chaos? Stand for Mock Mayor!
The evening is opened by alt-art rockers The Regalos, followed by the industrial noise blast of Night Motor after the Mock Mayor Election.
FREE EVENT: COME ON DOWN
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 6pm to midnight
TBC / Flats and Sharps / DJs Jago Pengelly & Jack Maylem / Jam & Meme
It’s a proper Kernow mash-up on Friday, featuring some of Cornwall’s finest music performers with a distinct range of styles.
Flats ‘n’ Sharps
Following the groove to a folkier place is Cornwall’s finest bluegrass troubadours fresh from recording their latest album in London and a near capacity gig at The Minack. Relaunching with an expanded lineup, the Cornish bluegrass outfit deliver music that’s punchy, precise and impossible to ignore. Born on the coast and raised on the road, they’ve built a reputation for lightning-fast picking, pristine vocal harmonies and an electrifying live show. With deep roots in Cornwall and fans across the globe. Flats & Sharps are driving their sound into an exciting new era.
Jack & Jago
Next up is a little DJ slot from local tuneslayers Jago Pengelly and Jack Maylem bringing us the best underground UK garage.
Jam & Meme
Finally, to end the Friday on a proper high are the kings of Kernow cool telling it like it is with a live show of two step mayhem. It’s the first time playing in Penzance for this collective and they are sure not to disappoint. Jam & Meme is what happens when Cornish pride, chaos, and creativity collide. Part DJ, part MC, and backed by a rowdy crew of Kernow-loving scoundrels, they mash up dance, drum ’n’ bass, hard rock, Cornish folk, and self-penned anthems about the grit and grind of real Cornish life. On paper, it shouldn’t work — but with a healthy dose of Cornish magic, mythology, and madness, it absolutely does.
TICKETED EVENT: TICKETS £15 FOM THE LINK BELOW
SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 3pm to 7pm
Piece Work / Half Kut / Dië Spanglë
Penzance has always been punk, even before the Sex Pistols played here in 1977. So it only seemed fair to have an afternoon of pogo frenzy.
Piecework
Local misfits Piecework grace the floorboards next with their angular punk, blending wiry guitars, elastic basslines and funk-charged drum grooves, that combine to deliver a sharp, danceable urgency. The band, fronted by two powerhouse queens on vocals, deliver politically charged lyrics cut with wit, fire, art-school abrasion, and neon-lit energy. This channelling of twitchy tension into songs that demand both movement and mischief.
Half Kut
The Golowan Marquee welcomes international acts, so we’re pleased to present – all the way from Porthleven – Cornish surf punks Half Kut. Risqué and raucous, Half Kut blend a chaotic stage presence, damn fine melodies and humour in a sharp blast.
Dië Spanglë
Finally, and it truly is finally, Dië Spanglë will end their punk career with one of the highlights of the Golowan weekend. Their Saturday afternoon set is the stuff of legends, and this one will be the one to top it all being their last ever show. If you’ve never witnessed the punky anthems, now is your time to say you were there.
In beetween the bands will be DJ No Future hammering out the punk and new wave sevens.
FREE EVENT: JUST STROLL IN
SATURDAY, JUNE 26, 8pm to 1.30am
Groove Lounge / Love Love Discoteca / Greg Wilson
The Saturday night dance session is a firm favourite of Golowan, and tickets fly out for this event.
Groove Lounge
Penwith’s purveyors of all things funk, soul and jazz, Groove Lounge is Penzance’s longest running dance night . From disco to Latin, Richard Ballinger, Gary Hughes and guests get the most wooden feet moving.
Love Love Discoteca
Next up are DJs Alex Conrad (The Mongolian Disco Show) and Electric George (The Analogue Cabin) aka Love Love Discoteca, spinning their unique brand of musical discoteca, channelling dancefloor spirits past and present. These guys have been hitting the festival circuit, earning a name for laying out infectious grooves. With the headiest days of disco serving as a blueprint, these guys keep that fire burning. Expect sounds from every corner—afro, Latin, disco and the funkiest rhythms from the past—all woven together with an electronic pulse of the future. Don’t get left behind as they travel through space and time to a funking bassline and bring some magic to the dancefloor.
Greg Wilson
In a bit of a coup for Penzance, we’re pleased to welcome Greg Wilson to our shores. A maestro of his craft, Greg Wilson has had a highly successful DJ career, over 40 years on, starting with a key role in the Haçienda. Greg is acknowledged as the godfather of the early ’80s Manc electro scene and is one of the first British DJs to use three turntables. pivotal role in the development of UK club culture. He is also the first man to demonstrate live mixing on British TV, appearing on The Tube in 1983, the same year in which he’d teach a young Norman Cook (aka Fatboy Slim) how to cut and scratch. His remix credits included Grace Jones, Gilberto Gil, The XX, Groove Armada, Roxy Music and the Happy Mondays. If there’s a man who can read a crowd and get them dancing, then that is Greg Wilson.
England v Panama (World Cup, from 10pm)
TICKETED EVENT: TICKETS £20 FOM THE LINK BELOW
SUNDAY, JUNE 27, 1pm to 11.30pm
Susannah Sail / The Odd Folk / Fay Love / Robbo / Iron5ide / Flo The DJ / Paul Robbins / King Louis /
Ry Spenceley
Super Sunday is for the survivors and we’re laying on a full day of cool sounds.
Opening the day is Susannah Sail – a singer, song-writer and multi-instrumentalist, making soul, jazz and alternative-indie music with her three best friends and bandmates.
Next up are The Odd Folk, west Cornwall’s rabble-rousing folk troubadours who bring their infectious grooves to the marquee.
Opening the DJ session is Faye Love spinning her disco laden grooves.
Robbo then ups the tempo with an uplifting house-inspired set.
A Golowan Marquee favourite is our Iron5ide, who generally gets the kids up on stage dancing to his mash-up style.
Flo the DJ ups the bpm again with some house and garage, mixed with pure energy.
Sunday favourites Paul Robbins and King Louis keep the dance party flowing with classic cuts interspersed with new tunes from the crates.
Closing the marquee proceedings is Penzance’s own arms-in-the-air maestro Ry Spenceley. Fresh from his sell-out Bang Bang Club nights, Ry is a pure crowd pleaser filling the marquee with smiling faces.
FREE ENTRY UNTIL 7PM, THEN £5 ON THE DOOR
