Mousehole village illuminations

The Mousehole illuminations attract people from all over the world

On Saturday 12 December the annual display of Christmas lights will be switched on.

The Christmas lights were started in 1963 by Mousehole-based artist, Joan Gilchrest with a string of coloured bulbs put up along both quays.

The spectacle has grown considerably since then and now attracts thousands of people from all over the world.

The Mousehole Lights is run solely by unpaid volunteers and money is collected to keep the tradition alive.

Click here to see a gallery of images taken of the Mousehole illuminations

To mark the event there will be an outdoor Carolaire service with traditional music provided by the Pendeen Silver Band and the Carolaire Choir.

The dove of peace features in the Newlyn lights

From Sunday 13 December to Sunday 3 January 2010 the lights are switched on from 5pm until approximately 11pm, with the exception on Saturday 19th December when the lights will be switched off from 8pm - 9pm in remembrance of the crews of the Solomon Browne lifeboat and Union Star in 1981.

Another unique event that takes place over Christmas in Mousehole is the celebration of a dish unique to the village - Star Gazey Pie. The lights beneath the Ship Inn pub symbolise the dish which is prepared and eaten on 23rd December- Tom Bawcock's Eve. Legend has it that residents were starved of fish because of a stormy winter.

Weeks had passed and no fishermen had been able to set sail. Two nights before Christmas one of these local fishermen, Tom Bawcock, braved the storm and through some miracle caught 7 types of different fish and brought them back to the village...

A dish unique to the village - Star Gazey Pie

Tom became a local hero and every year is honoured because of his courage on the 23rd December when the Star Gazey Pie is cooked at The Ship Inn and brought out at midnight.

Nearby, Newlyn also boasts an impressive display of festive illuminations, which you can view on your way if you are arriving from Penzance.

Newlyn lights are just as spectacular, with the illuminations distributed around the fishing harbour, along the pier and along the surrounding roads.

There is a park and ride facility from Penzance harbour carpark.