Event Production - Golowan Festival

Penzance Town Council offers to provide a package of financial support to an incorporated community organisation in return for the delivery of core elements of the Golowan Festival 2019 between 24 June and 30 June 2019.

The celebration of the midsummer solstice and the Feast of St. John with bonfires, flaming tar barrels and burning torches was widespread in Cornwall until the late 19th Century. Penzance was one of the last towns to lose this tradition in the 1890s. In 1991, the tradition was revived and over time grew from a one day celebration (Mazey Day) to a week long event culminating in the Mazey Day weekend.

The Mazey Day weekend starts on the Friday with the election of the Mock Mayor and a firework display (safer than flaming tar barrels). Mazey Day itself is the highlight of the weekend with a major street market and processions through the Town Centre involving schools, community groups, bands and civil dignitaries. The Quay Fair runs on the Sunday. A fun fair runs throughout the weekend and makes an important contribution to the financing of the event. The ethos of Golowan is that it an inclusive community event celebrating the distinctive identity of Penzance and Cornwall, part of the Celtic Fringe. It is an opportunity to showcase local creative talent and reinforce popular local traditions.

Golowan was managed by the community until 2007 when Penzance Town Council stepped in on a temporary basis due to financial difficulties. The event was delivered by a Community Interest Company in 2017 with financial support from the Council as an interim measure to allow time for a Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO) to be established to run the event in future. Applications are sought for Golowan 2019 from groups that are CIOs or CIC's partnered with a charitable organisation so as to move toward the community aspiration that Golowan is overseen by a charitable community organisation. In assessing bids, ability to dependably deliver Golowan 2019 will take precedence over meeting the desired charitable organisational structure.

Golowan has traditionally collaborated with the owners of venues to put on a range of events covering diverse genres. Such collaborative and partnership working is encouraged where these is confidence that the resulting events are financially viable. The priority in the Service Level Agreement is delivery of free community events over the Mazey Day weekend which together represent the heart of the community's midsummer celebration.

Deliverables. Delivery of the core elements of the Penzance Golowan Festival 2019 comprising: - Mock Mayor elections. - Firework Display on Penzance Seafront/Harbour area on the evening 28 June 2019 - Mazey Day 29 June 2019 (Market, street processions, street and open air music) - Quay Fair 30 June 2019

Additional information: Please contact Penzance Town Council for formal delivery documents.