St Ives May Day – Celebrating the start of Spring and the end of Winter
The St Ives May Day Celebrations can be traced back hundreds of years are a traditional celebration representing the start of spring and the end of winter.
St Ives May Day Celebrations
At midday at the Guildhall, the Grand Bard and Mayor choose the May Queen and King and their attending Prince and Princess, in a ceremony known bizarrely as the “pee whip”. The St Ives Guisers, dressed in their traditional black and white “mock formal” make an appearance, horn blowers herald the start of spring and there’ll be May sticks.
At 1 pm there’s a parade to the harbour where you can watch Maypole dances, traditional Cornish dancing and music. Various local choirs and brass bands perform by the harbour throughout the day.
Pub on the cobbled sea front – St Ives
For more information on the St Ives May Day
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