TREVITHICK DAY 2024, A FREE ONE-DAY FESTIVAL IN CAMBORNE TOWN CENTRE THAT CELEBRATES A GREAT MAN AND SHOWCASES CORNISH VINTAGE VEHICLES, TAKES PLACE ON SATURDAY 27 APRIL 2024. HERE’S THE LOWDOWN…
Richard Trevithick was no ordinary dude. He was a genius. Born in 1771, his 62 years on this planet were spent inventing stuff that would basically transform the future of mass transportation and Britain’s place at the forefront of the industrial revolution. He also helped transform Cornwall’s fortunes as an important cog in the globe’s mining industry.
Trevithick’s inventions – such as the first-ever steam-driven vehicle, the ‘Puffing Devil’, that both mesmerised and terrified the people of Camborne when it first took to the streets in 1801 – were quite simply revolutionary.
Trevithick was born and lived on the edge of Camborne and Redruth in the heart of the county’s mining industry lands, so it’s deeply fitting that it’s the town of Camborne that pays tribute to the great man, his inventions and his importance to Cornwall’s mining heritage.
Trevithick Day is traditionally held on the last Saturday in April every year. Trevithick Day 2024 takes place on Saturday 27 April 2024. Expect steam engines, parades, singing, dancing and so much more.
During the annual Trevithick Day, the streets of Camborne are closed to traffic and are replaced by the rumbling and tooting of scores of steam engines while onlookers enjoy sideshows, stalls, choirs and bands throughout the day. Many of the town’s museums, attractions and galleries also get in on the act with exhibitions, talks and events on and around the day.
Expect: steam engines and a steam parade. Sound stages with local bands and choirs. Street entertainers. Stalls. Buskers. Street food. A fairground. A load of historical exhibitions. A schools competition. Stationary engines. Vintage vehicles. Trips on vintage buses. Morning and afternoon dances led by the Camborne Town Band. Fun. And plenty of history.
The first Trevithick Day was held in 1984 and it’s been rapidly building up steam from there, attracting up to 30,000 people from Cornwall and beyond with every edition.
It’s also a day to turn the spotlight on Camborne itself. The landscape of the town and its community are pockmarked by its industrial past so events throughout the day revive and relive the old traditions of mining life. Examples of this include school children dressing up in traditional garb in the morning and performing the ‘Bal-Maidens and Miners’ dance. In the afternoon, it’s the adults’ turn to troop the streets in Cornish black, white and gold, and in the evening there’s a parade of steam engines, all a legacy of Trevithick’s ‘Puffing Devil’.
Due to COVID-19, all the live events on Trevithick Day were cancelled in 2021 – a year that would have marked the inventor’s 250th birthday. But 2022’s event saw the release of pent-up and joyous energy as the whole of Camborne blew off some steam to celebrate its favourite son.
And the 2023 edition was a triumph. At the event, the Cornwall Bus Preservation Society provided transport in the guise of their fantastic vintage buses, which ferried festival goers into town from Cornwall College to catch all of the action. Another highlight was the schools competition at the Masonic Hall, as well as the model exhibitions at Camborne Church, the Centenary Chapel flower festival and a fascinating art exhibition at the town’s Passmore Edwards building.
The best way to enjoy Trevithick Day 2024 is to get there early and just wander the town as there’s something going on absolutely everywhere! Make Trevithick Day in Camborne a real special one. This one’s for you, Richard!