Promoter after promoter couldn’t make Looe’s annual festival work – so landlords and locals came up with their own. We don some glittery face paint and find out how

As it draws to a close, the UK’s festival season is looking far thinner than it was at the outset. In August, the Association of Independent Festivals reported that 60 UK events had either been postponed, cancelled or shut down this year, citing rising costs – and that the total was expected to reach 100 by the end of 2024.

Amid these losses, one community in south-east Cornwall has salvaged their local festival after commercial promoters couldn’t make it work, with residents, landlords and volunteers stepping in to run the show.