Montol Highlights
Here to help you map out your evening
make sure you don’t miss a thing
and pace yourself
More precise timings will be announced closer to the date
Photo Credit: Greg Martin
During the day
Throughout the day – well the afternoon: this is Penzance – The Beasts will be prowling the town – look for them on and around Market Jew Street.
There’ll also be Morris Dancing, Crying Town Criers and traditional Cornish Carols.
The Sundowner Parade
As the sun sets, Raffidy Dumitz, the Mock Mayor of Penzance, Tros an Treys, The Osses and Lord and Lady Montol and their honoured guests will lead a family friendly Parade down Causewayhead – including periodic diversions through the shops – down to Greenmarket – followed by Cornish dancing.
The Progress of the Sun
After the Summoning of the Sun, Old Ned, the Montol Banner, fire dancers, Osses and Raffidy Dumitz will escort the Sun Resplendent and a huge crowd, costumed and masked like some gothic, home-made fairy-tale version of Venice Carnival, up through town in a spectacular parade from Greenmarket, to the Princess May Recreation Ground.
The Fire
Where there will be fire and music and the sun will be burned on a bonfire while a mesmerised crowd slowly turns in a halting circle dance as the flames roar, hissing in the rain.
The Revels
From Greenmarket to the bottom of Chapel Street – we have the road to ourselves for the serious business of Guize Dancing.
Cornish Carols, actual dancing, crude dramas, role-playing, mock funerals, baffling games, even the occasional drink.
A fabulous party of endless silliness.
Everything is loud, vibrant, boisterous, even a little bit frightening and above all, fun – at the darkest time of the year.
Tas Nadelik’s Parade
Tas Nadelik, our not-so-traditional Cornish Father Christmas, in the role of midwife to the New Year, brings the Montol Mock (our Yule log) down Chapel Street to the sea.
The Chalking of the Mock
In accordance with our Ancient Customs, the celebrants gather again around a fire and a member of the crowd is chosen to chalk the Mock and then it is committed to the flames.
All of our regrets and fears are burned away and our hopes and dreams are turned into smoke and carried into the New Year on the wind.
And then the serious business of drinking and dancing begins.
Join us to turn the world upside down
In some ways none of it makes any sense.
And that’s the point.
Just for one night the world is turned upside down.
