Celebrating the intoxicating power of words is the essence of the Port Eliot Festival experience. Jump right in as a mix of writers, poets and journalists from cult heroes to breaking talent join us for a spine-tingling weekend of wordplay.

Like the great Bryan Ferry once said, “When you get music and words together, that can be a very powerful thing.” Port Eliot celebrates the alchemy of music and words – and much more besides. From rhythm n’ blues to rock poetry, funk to folk, sea shanties to skiffle, Bhangra to bop, we distil the very best of the beats to fashion a music and cabaret line-up that’s brim-full of uplifting experiences.

Explore Port Eliot’s hidden backcountry, gliding into glades of delight to discover twisted textiles, temples of relaxation, amazing works of art and one-off performances. Stumble on secret doors to late night hidden dancefloors and encounter pop-ups, dress-ups and pamper parlours.

Enter the walled garden and let your inner fashionista run wild. You don’t have to be a catwalk queen to revel in the off-the-wall fashion in The Wardrobe Department. Play dress-ups with fashion icons, get snapped by one of fashion’s hottest photographers or turn your hand to fashioning your own creations, from a unique festival dress with Barbara Hulanicki to hats with Stephen Jones.

Down by the Boathouse, looking out over the water, get to Caught By The River for a morning ‘til last-man-drops mix of music and talks on the subjects of nature and rock n’ roll. Pull up a hay bale and let your imagination roam free, fuelled by a heady cocktail of watery tales, fresh tunes, illuminating ideas, sparkling company and the finest real ale.

What’s cooking in Port Eliot’s beautiful Big Kitchen? Pull up a chair and prepare to be treated to a feast of talks and demonstrations by the cream of the crop of chefs and food writers, plus some special guests. It’s a celebration of food, glorious food, with inspiring fodder for the brain and belly.

From woven straw unicorns to thimbles of flowers for a tea party of mice, the Port Eliot Flower Show is a place where imagination blossoms. We pay fond homage to our roots in the traditional English flower and vegetable shows, while cheerfully casting the rule book aside.

With its wonderfully eclectic curriculum of mind-boggling masterclasses from the land’s finest dramatists, artists, husbandmen, poets, musicians, philosophers and other assorted luminaries, The Idler Academy of Philosophy, Husbandry and Merriment offers an inspired and refreshing combination of learning and slacking.

Imagine a place where you can dance with trolls, take tea with a giant, make mischief with the pixies and knit dreams with a faerie. Only the wildest of imaginations will open the door to this fantastical other world…