It’s a weekend when Padstow feels like a Dickens Christmas card come to life. The big tree standing proud by the harbour, fairy lights strung between old stone buildings, brass bands in the streets and the scent of mulled wine drifting past the pub doors. In the evenings, you’ll hear live music spilling from the cosier corners – fiddles, guitars, a bit of carol singing – with the occasional crackle from the log fires inside. And on Friday night, there’s the fireworks: a burst of light and colour over the dark water, best watched with cold hands wrapped around something warm to drink.

This year, as always, we’re joining in the celebrations and look forward to hosting some special events of our own, so you can enjoy plenty of festive food throughout the weekend. We’d love you to come along.

Rick’s Christmas Cookery Course

Thursday 4th December | Rick Stein’s Cookery School | One Day Course

Spend a day learning signature recipes from Rick’s first-ever Christmas cookbook, picking up tips and tricks, and soaking up the Christmas spirit. Perfect preparation for a weekend full of festive cheer.

In conversation with Jill, Jack and Charlie

Thursday 4th December | 7pm | Rick Stein’s Cookery School

Spend an evening with Jack, Jill and Charlie Stein as they cook, pour, taste and share stories from life in the Stein family. Jack will prepare three dishes, with Jill and Charlie lending a hand and sharing anecdotes along the way – a relaxed, personal celebration of great food, family and conversation. Guests will enjoy each dish as a small plate, perfectly paired with a tasting wine selected by Charlie.

Nick Mears at Ruby’s Bar

Thursday 4th December | 4pm – 7pm | Ruby’s Bar

The Padstow Christmas Fayre weekend starts a little early at Ruby’s Bar. It’s the sort of place you slip into on a cold December afternoon, coats hung up by the door, windows beginning to mist and something good in your glass.

From 4pm, Nick Mears will be playing. There’s a warmth in his voice that brings a feel of sunshine to even the frostiest evening and his songs wander happily from familiar favourites to unexpected gems. Never predictable, always easy to listen to, the kind of music that keeps you sitting for just one more.

Chef Demo: Rick and Charlie Stein

Friday 5th December | 3pm | The Chef’s Theatre

Rick’s Christmas Book Signing

Friday 5th December | 4pm | Stein’s Deli

Rick will be at the Deli, pen in hand, ready to sign copies of his latest book, Rick Stein’s Christmas (or an old favourite if you bring one along). It’s a chance for a quick chat, a photo, or simply to wish him a merry Christmas in person before heading out for the evening’s fireworks.

The Seafood Restaurant 50th Celebration Cookery Course

Friday 5th December | Rick Stein’s Cookery School | One Day Course

There’s something special about a restaurant that has spent five decades perfecting its craft. On this cookery course, you’ll explore the dishes that have become part of its story, salmon with sorrel, Goan lobster and seafood thermidor. It’s a day to cook, taste, and enjoy the flavours that have made the restaurant a favourite.

Daisy Clark at Ruby’s Bar

Friday 5th December | 4pm – 6pm | Ruby’s Bar

A remarkably talented young singer-songwriter from Cornwall, Daisy brings just her guitar and mesmerising voice, filling the Ruby’s Bar with warmth. Her repertoire wanders effortlessly from familiar favourites reimagined and unexpected gems sprinkled throughout. It’s the sort of music that makes you want to listen for just one more song.

Lantern Parade

Friday 5th December | 6pm | Padstow Harbour

As night falls take to the harbour to see a glowing procession of handmade lanterns from all our local schools.

Christmas Dinner and Disco

Friday 5th December | 7pm – Late | The Seafood Restaurant

Join Rick, Jill, Ed, Jack and Charlie Stein for a festive evening of food, music and dancing. Jack and Charlie will introduce Rick’s specially created five-course menu, before Rick and Ed take to the decks to keep the dancefloor alive long into the night. Expect a relaxed, joyful celebration with the Stein family and our team, and perhaps a few questionable dance moves.

£220 pp | Last remaining tickets

Late Night Shopping

Friday 5th December | Until 8pm | Stein’s Deli

Join us for late-night shopping, a chance to browse our deli after dark, with shelves stacked with jams, biscuits, chutneys and relishes, freshly baked pasties and pastries, Charlie’s hand-picked wines, Cornish homeware and signed books. It’s a cosy pause in the bustle of the festival and shop for Christmas presents.

Fireworks Display

Friday 5th December | 8pm | Padstow Harbour

The fireworks bring Friday’s events to a close with a burst of light and cheer. A small moment, but one that seems to bring the whole town together.

Chef Demo: Nick Evans

Head Chef Lecturer at Rick Stein’s Cookery School

Saturday 6th December | 11am | The Chef’s Theatre

Chef Demo: Jack Stein

Saturday 6th December | 1pm | The Chef’s Theatre

Lobster and Crab Cookery Course

Saturday 6th December | Rick Stein’s Cookery School | Half Day Course

If crab and lobster have always tempted you but felt a little intimidating in the kitchen, this course is the perfect introduction. Spend the morning learning how to select, prepare, and cook these firm favourites, with plenty of tips along the way. By the end of the course, you’ll have the confidence and know-how to bring these impressive locals to your own table.

Rick’s Christmas Supper Club

Saturday 6th December | Rick Stein’s Cookery School | Evening Course

Celebrate the festive season with a cosy evening at our Christmas Supper Club. Inspired by Rick’s brand-new Christmas cookbook, the menu takes you from delicate canapés with Prosecco on arrival, through to a three-course feast. Watch a couple of the dishes being cooked live, with plenty of chance to pick up tips and techniques from our expert chefs.

Ashley Harding at Ruby’s Bar

Saturday 6th December | 5pm – 7pm | Ruby’s Bar

There’s something rather special about hearing Ashley Harding play in a small room, pint in hand, the fire giving off just enough glow and the harbour lights flickering outside. Originally from Wales and now settled in Cornwall, Ashley is one of those rare musicians who seems to sing straight from the heart. His music, a mix of country, Americana and roots, carries the weight of old stories and the charm of new ones, leaving you a little captivated long after the last note fades.

Chef Demo: Pete Murt

Head Chef at The Seafood Restaurant

Sunday 7th December | 11am | The Chef’s Theatre

Master Signature Dishes from The Seafood Restaurant

Rick Stein’s Cookery School | One Day Course

Step into the kitchen and explore the dishes that have made The Seafood Restaurant a landmark of fresh fish and shellfish since 1975. From chargrilled Dover sole to Indonesian seafood curry and Singapore chilli crab, you’ll learn the techniques behind each signature dish, filleting, preparing and cooking fish and shellfish with confidence. A full day of hands-on cooking, tasting, and inspiration, perfect for the festive Padstow weekend.

Festive Dining

Dining out in the run-up to Christmas always feels particularly special. Hair a little windswept, cheeks pink from the cold and then you step inside, where coats are hung, glasses topped up and the windows are misted with steam from the kitchen.

Plates arrive hot and generous, hearty Cornish dishes, full-bodied wines, the occasional clink of Champagne flutes. There’s the hum of conversation, friends reuniting and the sort of easy laughter that comes when the year is winding down.

Whether you’re here for a lingering lunch or an evening that stretches into the night, our menus are designed for exactly this time of year. Seasonal, comforting and made to be enjoyed with the people you love.