Padstow Christmas Fayre 2025
Padstow at Christmas, image credit Rick Stein
We are delighted to share the news that after the much loved Padstow Christmas Festival, one of the highlights of Cornwall’s Christmas Calendar, was cancelled in 2024, this year the Padstow Christmas Fayre has risen to take its place.
Taking place over the weekend of December 4-7th, this four-day free to attend winter festival headlined by local celebrity chefs Rick Stein and Paul Ainsworth will feature 50 chef demonstrations, plus a Christmas Market for all of your artisan food, drink and gift needs, a lantern parade, fireworks, live music, food and drink masterclasses, children’s Christmas crafts and a variety of events also taking place across the town.
Covered Christmas Market in Padstow, image by Idenna Design
The four-day community-led event is expected to attract thousands of visitors in a joyful celebration of Cornish food and drink, bringing the local community together – whilst raising funds and awareness for charities including Hospitality Action, The Fisherman’s Mission and Padstow Lifeboat.
Port Isaac will be celebrating the switching on of the village’s Christmas illuminations on the evening of Friday December 5th, with a lantern parade (and quite possibly a drinks reception with mince pies at our office on New Road TBC), so it’s the ideal winter weekend to visit North Cornwall and get in the festive spirit.
Padstow is an easy and entertaining day out from Port Isaac. You can drive to Rock, twenty minutes away, and catch the passenger foot ferry across the Camel Estuary to Padstow, arriving in the heart of the harbour. Or, you can drive to Padstow around the estuary via Wadebridge, which takes around 35 – 40 minutes.
Chef demonstrations will take place each day between 11am and 4 or 5pm, with headliners Paul Ainsworth and Rick Stein appearing on Friday at 2pm and 3pm respectively, so you can make it back to Port Isaac in time for the lights switch on! Saturday sees some incredible seafood chefs take to the stage (Jamie Maclean of Mackerel Sky and former Seafood Restaurant head chef Stephane Delourme both at 3pm). Then on Sunday we’d suggest you get there early and secure some seats for the day to check out Padstow Kitchen Garden’s Ross Geach and The Seafood Restaurant’s Pete Murt at 11am, Adam Banks at midday, Mark Hix at 1pm and then Ben Quinn and Emily Scott at 2pm. Emily made her name at the Harbour Restaurant in Port Isaac, now Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen, then went on to takeover The St Tudy Inn where she earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand before opening Emily Scott Food at Watergate Bay, and it’s amazing to see such a talented chef with strong links to Port Isaac as one of the festival’s headliners.
Image by Idenna Design
We have Port Isaac holiday properties with availability in early December, so whether you want to dash down for a couple’s midwinter foodie weekend, or get some friends or extended family together for a winter group getaway to get in the festive spirit, we have the right place for you. Get in touch, and come and start the festive season in Cornwall!
Christmas fireworks during the festival. Image by Idenna Design