Cornwall’s first festival of quietness has opened - what's it all about?

Cornwall’s first festival of quietness has opened - what’s it all about?

One might think why are people getting together and staging a festival if they like the quiet.

HushFest is a week-long celebration of quietness through art, photography, live music, creative workshops and community-made installations. It invites people to experience quietness as something rich with creativity, connection, care and contribution.

The Festival of Quietness opened with an afternoon of live music, community-created art and moving reflections at St Cubert’s Church in Cubert on Saturday, July 4.

The festival continues until today (Friday, July, 10) with exhibitions at St Cubert’s Church and Create Contemporary Crafts Hub in Camborne, and relaxed creative activities taking place throughout the week in the Newquay, Camborne and Falmouth areas.

The opening gathering brought together local visitors, performers, artists, volunteers and members of the Quiet Connections community inside St Cubert’s Church, one of Cornwall’s Celtic Quiet Places.

Live music filled the church alongside artwork and installations, including Quiet Hearts, a community-made installation of nearly 2,000 handmade textile hearts displayed across two wardrobes at St Cubert’s Church and Create CIC in Camborne.

During the opening celebration, visitors looked inside the larger wardrobe at St Cubert’s, discovering the colour, care and creativity held within the piece with smiles and surprise.

The afternoon also included original music and the first performance of A Little Bit of Hush, a song created especially for HushFest from words and reflections shared by the Quiet Connections community.

Performers included Zoe Zalick, Ellie Zalick, Annie Faux Pas, Ewan Lyne, Natalia Baxter and Mother of the Groom, alongside the HushFest House Band, made up of members of Quiet Connections’ Liskeard Meet Up, led by Zoe and Ellie.

Visitors left handwritten feedback describing the opening as “wonderful”, “uplifting” and “beautiful”, with one person writing that they were “moved to tears”. Another reflected: “It teaches you something you needed to hear.”

Hayley Stanton, founder of Quiet Connections CIC, said: “Opening HushFest at St Cubert’s Church was very moving. People came together through music, artwork, poetry, photography, handmade pieces and stories, all exploring quietness in different ways.

“It shows what can happen when quieter ways of being are not only accepted, but valued and celebrated. This festival has been made by so many people, each contributing in their own way. Seeing those contributions held together in one place brings home what this festival is really about.”

Annie Faux Pas, who performed at the opening, said: “The opening was amazing, with such a positive atmosphere, great performances and so much kindness. The exhibition is so good, and I really hope lots of people go and see it. The turnout was very good, so hopefully more visitors will come throughout the week to appreciate this wonderful work.”

St Cubert’s Church is open daily from 10am to 4pm until Friday 10th July, with exhibitions and relaxed creative activities continuing throughout the week.

Visitors are welcome to drop into the exhibitions and most creative activities at their own pace, whether they have five minutes or an afternoon.