TROPICAL PRESSURE 2024 WORLD MUSIC FESTIVAL IN CORNWALL TAKES PLACE BETWEEN FRIDAY 12 AND SUNDAY 14 JULY 2024. WORLD MUSIC NEVER SOUNDED, TASTED AND FELT SO GOOD AT THIS AMAZING SMALL FEST IN PORTHTOWAN…
Way back in 2014, a new festival started up on farmland near Portreath. It was a pretty unique fest as it focused on world music while also giving visitors a bright and colourful island paradise experience. This fest steered clear from going large and loud, instead plumping for warm, fun and intimate vibes. It worked.
It worked damn well, in fact, and it had been going every year since on land at Mount Pleasant Eco Park in Porthtowan – between Portreath and Perranporth and only three miles away from Redruth – until COVID-19 hit. But in 2022, after a two-year hiatus, Tropical Pressure was back. And it was back in style, thanks to the great bands, warm weather and party atmosphere that this festival creates. And Tropical Pressure 2023? Well, that was just a barnstormer, despite the not-so-shining weather.
We’re hoping that there will be great weather at Tropical Pressure 2024 in Cornwall, though, which takes place between Friday 12 and Sunday 14 July 2024. The fest really does get away with its name because when the sun is high over this idyllic spot on the north coast, there is genuinely a tropical paradise feeling in the air.
The musical artists and bands that play the festival generally fit the vibe too, hailing from across the gamut of world music, with past acts including Colombian salsa and rhumba giants La 33 and creole masters Lindigo from the island of Réunion.
Some superb acts were on the bill at Tropical Pressure 2023, including Cuba’s La Dame Blanche, Venezuela’s Luzmira Zerpa, Ghana’s Alogte Oho, the UK’s Juanita Euka, Malawi’s Gasper Nali and France’s David Walters. Sure, the weather wasn’t great for it but the sun came out on the Sunday for all to enjoy.
Camping is encouraged over the weekend, as is bringing a campervan. There’s a special family camping field too as kids love the festival as much as adults. There’s actually a dedicated kids field that has play spaces alongside free craft workshops, circus skill classes and storytelling sessions.
This whole fest is a small, intimate affair, in fact, as the maximum number of people in attendance is 3,000 (2023 figures, at least!). But the vibes and the music just make this fest too good to miss. The 2024 Tropical Pressure should also see a return of the foot-tappin’ Roots Arena and the World Food Market, which traditionally offers all sorts of 100 percent plant-based tuck, from cheesy chips to salads.
Those with tickets will also be able to enjoy nighttime DJ sessions, where the DJs hail from all corners of the globe and ‘spin their magic across three completely unique party spaces’. The whole fest is green, environmentally sustainable and ‘life affirming’ and ‘all ages, from babes to grannies’ are welcomed.
Tickets are now on sale but watch this space for lineup announcements. See you there, world music fans…