As Cornwall’s largest and most revered Christmas Festival, renowned for our abundance of culinary kings and queens, we have welcomed a new Royal addition for 2023 – The Prince’s Trust.
Now in our 16th year, Padstow Christmas Festival will run from Thursday 7th to Sunday 10th December 2023. Our famous Sharp’s Chefs Theatre and Festival Kitchen will be hosting a remarkable list of culinary A-listers and hospitality heroes this year, providing visitors with a unique opportunity to experience the country’s top chefs performing world-class cooking demonstrations, sharing bespoke advice and tips, and engaging in plenty of foodie chat.
Our four-day festival will be packed with non-stop entertainment, including a magical Christmas market, heart-warming community events, eclectic live music performances and a plethora of festive treats and spirit throughout.
The Prince’s Trust helps vulnerable young people get their lives on track. It supports 11-to-30-year-olds, who are unemployed or struggling at school and at risk of exclusion, to develop essential life skills, get ready for work and access job opportunities.
The charity’s work is very relevant to Cornwall, and it is for this reason festival organisers, Tina Evans and Chef Rick Stein, wish to utilise the positivity and power of the Padstow Christmas Festival to help support The Prince’s Trust’s vital mission.
Tina Evans, founder and festival organiser commented: “The young people of Cornwall are the future of our vibrant county and rich coastal heritage, however, so many are facing challenges and struggles and need acknowledgement and help. I could not be more aware of how much The Prince’s Trust can help improve and transform young people’s lives, by giving them that vital helping hand that can make all the difference to their life and future wellbeing. We are so happy to be championing The Prince’s Trust’s mission at the festival this year, to us it represents what the spirit of Christmas is all about.”
Tracy Hart, Volunteer Business Mentor for The Prince’s Trust expressed her excitement for participating in this year’s Padstow Christmas Festival, stating: I am very grateful to Tina, Rick and everyone involved in this year’s event for giving The Prince’s Trust the opportunity to engage the public with what the charity does, why its work is so important and how they too can help make a difference. Whether it’s providing a confidence boost, employment opportunities, business support or training,The Prince’s Trust can help improve the lives of young people in need and provide opportunities to live a life and achieve goals they never dreamed possible. The more awareness and support we can generate for the charity, the more we can do to transform the lives of young people”.
The Prince’s Trust will have a double stand at the upcoming Padstow Christmas Festival dedicated to showcasing the charity’s work and the young people and businesses they have helped build and support. The event will also provide an opportunity for young culinary businesses to potentially support the exclusive chef demos and food forums, providing yet another platform for those involved.
Rick Stein, who has been at the forefront of the Padstow Christmas Festival since it started 16 years ago is very happy to host such a feast of all things Cornish and culinary. “We’re very excited about the Padstow Christmas Festival this year,” he says. “It should be a good one. Knowing we’ll be helping to support The Prince’s Trust is really good news, I’m a great fan of their work and it’s such an important charity for Cornwall”.
Padstow Christmas Festival remains a not-for-profit event and continues to be financed by sponsorship and fundraising activities during the year, plus revenue raised from events held during the festival.