Copper Coast Cornish Festival

CVLCarnival
Rating Be the first to rate this item0 Reviews
LocationKadina, Moonta & WallarooYorke Peninsula SA
Event Date18 May 2015 10:00
Event Ends24 May 2015 10:00
EventID2946

Description

A short history of the Kernewek Lowender, the largest Cornish Festival in the World.
The Kernewek Lowender began as an idea in the early 1970's by local businessmen in the economically depressed Copper Coast in country South Australia.

The copper mines, once employed hundreds of Cornish immigrants were the lifeblood of the region, but after the mines closed in 1923, agriculture became the main industry. The original Cornish Festival committee selected the May long weekend for the first festival in 1973. The name "Kernewek Lowender" was chosen – it means 'Cornish happiness in the Cornish language'.

The South Australian Government's Premier's Department provided a grant of (AUD)$1000 and although the local community was sceptical, plans went ahead.

The first festival exceeded all expectations. In 1973, 20,000 people visited the district, of these 11,000 attended the Fer Kernewek (Cornish Fair) at the Moonta Oval, 15,000 people passed through the Moonta Mines Museum and 8,000 Cornish pasties were consumed. Petrol service stations ran out of super grade petrol and the local bakery at Moonta had sweep the flour mill floor to get enough flour for the pasties at the Fer Kernewek!

The festival has proudly retained it original constitutional aim which was to revive the traditions of the Cornish heritage of the Northern Yorke Peninsula and to co-ordinate all the functions of the Cornish Festival.

Today, over 30,000 people flock to the Northern Yorke Peninsular to attend this cultural festival which is renowned for its many free events, street processions, church services and art and craft displays. Many visitors are particularly proud of their Cornish ancestry and cultural and historical aspects of the festival are very popular.

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