The 2023 Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival is an extra-special celebration of Cornish culture with the 50th year of the festival being commemorated throughout the week-long festivities.Moonta, Kadina & Wallaroo will host the Kernewek Lowender from 15th to 21st May, with every day of the festival jampacked with more than 60 activities, experiences and events to celebrate its 50th year.
Kernewek Lowender means ‘Cornish Happiness’, and the festival celebrates the unique traditions, culture and heritage of the Cornish migrants and the impact they have had on Northern Yorke Peninsula.
The 2023 Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival will include unique and immersive events, with a chance to step back in time or dress up as a Cousin Jack or Jenny to join in the celebrations. Enjoy a Cornish pasty or join a cooking class to learn how to make one, or follow the Pisky Trails in Kadina, Wallaroo & Moonta.
Festival program events feature traditional Cornish Dancing by people of all ages dressed in traditional Cornish costume, Street Parade, Pasty Bake-Off, Classic Cavalcade of Cars and Motorcycles, Concerts, Cornish Ceremonies, a Street Party, Markets, Feasts, Exhibitions, Pub Specials and entertainment, Art Prize Exhibition and much more. With a full week of activities, you’ll be spoilt for choice as you fill your days with truly unique experiences.
Program highlights include:
Moonta
- Book a seat on the unique Road Tram around the streets of Moonta, for a guided tour of the history of the Cornish Miners settlement of this historic town and heritage listed buildings.
- Take a guided tour through the Moonta Mines National Heritage Precinct, to discover stories of about the Cornish Miners and their families, and to walk in their footsteps.
- Learn how to make a Cornish Pasty with June Ladner, using a recipe handed down from her family ancestors from the 1800s.
- Explore the Moonta Mines Museum, and just across the road, the Moonta Mines Sweets Shops with it walls of colourful lollies.
- Discover the stories, history and hardship of the Cornish miners and their families during a guided tour of the Moonta Cemetery with Cornish Bard, Liz Coole, President of the Yorke Peninsula Cornish Association.
- Take a 50-minute ride on Moonta Mines Tourist Train through the historic landmarks of the Moonta Mines.
- Visit the Moonta Miners Cottage & Garden, for a self-guided tour of the traditional miners cottage, originally built around 1870 from wattle and daub.
- Learn everyday expressions, phrases, days of the week and months in Cornish, conducted by Lilian James OAM, a Cornish Bard.
- Watch the Moonta Mines Blacksmith display at ‘Tipara Forge’, bringing heritage skills to life.
Kadina
- Visit the Kernewek Lowender Art Collection at the Ascot Theatre.
- Discover your origins at the Family History research centre in Kadina.
- Indulge in a traditional Ploughman’s Lunch at Kadina’s Bean Junkie Café.
- View the artworks entered into the prestigious Kernewek Lowender Art Prize Exhibition, with the art on display at the Kadina Town Hall.
- Visit Camelot Garden, a private garden inspired by a traditional English Country Garden with established trees and garden beds showcasing cottage flowers, roses, hellebores and bordering edges of rosemary and English box. A scale-model of a Cornish Miners Cottage adjoins manicured lawns and decking overlooks a water feature and croquet court.
Wallaroo
- Discover Wallaroo’s haunted past, ghost stories and historic buildings on a guided walking tour hosted by Wallaroo National Trust.
- In honour of Kernewek Lowender 50th year, Wallaroo Treasures and Treats Café is re-enacting the Cornish Tea that was held in 1973 with a High Tea in 2023.
- See the beautiful leadlight windows at the 158-year-old St Mary’s Anglican Church, the reredos behind the altar, carved by a priest during the 1800s, with altar furnishings and seasonal vestments worn by the priests on display.
- Experience ‘Sup and Sing with the Cornish Time’ with a 3-course meal, including Cornish pasties, and an evening of Cornish conviviality. The SA Cornish Association Choir and various guest artists will perform, with community singing of some Cornish favourites.
- The Wallaroo Silo Light Show plays just after sunset and during May the mighty light display will feature images relating to the Kernewek Lowender and the proud Cornish history and heritage, celebrating 50 years of the festival.
The 2023 Kernewek Lowender Copper Coast Cornish Festival will be officially opened by the Governor of South Australia, Her Excellency the Honourable Frances Adamson AC, with the final 3 days of the festival taking place over the weekend.
Visit www.kernewek.org for more information and the full event program.
