The Festival will be launched with the annual Beer Fleet on Friday 26th May. The flotilla of boats will make their grand entrance into Falmouth's Custom House Quay at 6.45pm- a spectacular sight not to be missed. The opening ceremony will continue at Events Square with an evening of street food, craft ales and FREE live music, with The Motown Pirates getting the party in full swing at 8.30pm.

The subsequent days will be packed full of popular longstanding events, alongside a range of exciting new ones, resulting in a mix of festivities suitable for all ages to enjoy.

An undisputed highlight of this years festival will be a series of aerial acrobatic dance displays off the Lookout Tower at The National Maritime Museum Cornwall on Fri 2 & 3 Jun. These magnificent FREE performances by YSkynnaa Vertical Dance accompanied by a choir of over 60 strong will celebrate the extraordinary life of Sea Captain William Bligh.

Another major local attraction taking part this year is Trebah Garden, who will host a vibrant programme of live music in their sub-tropical amphitheatre. There's more for music lovers at The Pandora Inn on Sat 3 Jun with An evening of Sea Shanty featuring Du Hag Owr and Rum and Shrub Shantymen in aid of Cornwall Hospice South West.

Falmouth Art Gallery are offering budding artists the opportunity to capture the hidden creeks of the Carrick Roads on The Artists Afloat Cruise on Sat 27 May. The cruise will explore areas of the Fal River that inspired paintings by Henry Scott Tuke and Charles Napier Hemy on display in their current exhibition.

Local artists along the breadth of the river will be opening their doors to the public for 9 days during the festival as part of Open Studios Cornwall. Other opportunities to unleash your inner creative can be found in Flushing, where there is a feast of events happening from 28 May - 3 Jun as part of Flushing Arts Week.

Little artists should head for The Poly on Wed 31 May to see The Fisher Knight's Tale. This spellbinding puppet theatre show about an adventure down river will be followed by a pop-book craft workshop.

Another creative contribution comes from Kernow Education Arts Partnership (KEAP), who will present An Evening of Stories, Song and Poetry written by and inspired by the Cornish poet Charles Causley on Tue 30 May at the Tresanton Chapel in St Mawes.

Swamp Circus will be telling tales of Penryn's ancient port and its pirate past with live opera, dance & trapeze artists on board a sailing ship in their FREE production of The Pirate Queen on Fri 26 May.

There will also be plenty of opportunities to get outdoors and explore. This years festival welcomes back star guests The Kernow Astronomers who are inviting the public to take a glimpse at the cosmos using professional telescopes down at Penperth Farm on the Roseland on Fri 2 Jun.

Cornish Diving School are offering the chance to discover the area's incredible marine life with guided snorkel and diving tours.

Cornwall Fishing Adventures are giving a taste of sea fishing with their FREE have-a-go sessions on Sat 27 May and Sat 3 Jun off The Greenbank Hotel Quay.

WeSUP Paddleboard Centre are laying on an a whole range of exciting SUP activities for all ages and abilities throughout the festival down at Gyllyngvase Beach.

Canoe Cornwall and Truro and Penwith College are looking for volunteers to help clean up the river by canoe on Fri 2 Jun.

There's also a guided walk from Walk Kernow that takes in the spectacular scenery of the Roseland Peninsula as well as some of Cornwall's most beautiful boat trips on Sat 3 Jun.

Another jewel in the crown of this years programme will be a performance by the Kernow King who will transform the King Harry Ferry into a floating stage on Wed 31 May. Film on the Ferry will also return to the King Harry Ferry on Tue 30 May and Thur 1 June; films to be aired aboard the floating open air cinema this year include: Sully and the James Bond classic Thunderball.

The final day of the festival features the Castle to Castle Swim, an iconic one mile open water sea swim in aid of RNLI starting at Pendennis Castle in Falmouth and finishing at St Mawes Castle on the Roseland Peninsula.

Amy Brocklehurst, the festival's co-ordinator, explained the thinking behind the impressive programme:

"The Fal River area is not only spectacularly beautiful, it also buzzes with cultural and artistic activity and the festival is our way of celebrating all of that."

"There are some remarkable events taking place along the length and breadth of the river during the 10 days, and we hope locals and visitors alike will come out in force to enjoy them."

Check out the full programme HERE 

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