Cornwall’s Festival of Quietness opens at St Cubert’s Church

A church near Newquay will fill with music this weekend to launch something Cornwall has not seen before: a whole festival built around being quiet. HushFest opens on Saturday 4 July with an afternoon of live performances, community artwork and the first public airing of a song written by and for people who describe themselves as quiet.

An opening afternoon at a Celtic Quiet Place

The event, called Live Music. Quiet Place., takes place at St Cubert’s Church, one of Cornwall’s Celtic Quiet Places, near Newquay. Doors open at 3.15pm and the music starts at 3.45pm. Entry is by donation.

It is the first public moment of HushFest, a new festival celebrating quietness through art, music, photography, writing, workshops and community contributions. The whole thing has been created by Quiet Connections CIC.

Artwork will be displayed throughout the church for people to explore before and after the performances, and the atmosphere is meant to be relaxed. People can settle in their own time.

📷Behind-the-scenes photograph from rehearsals

Who is playing

The afternoon brings together local singer-songwriters, musicians and community members. The line-up includes Zoe Zalick, Natalia Baxter, Ellie Zalick, Ewan Lyne, Mother of the Groom, Annie Faux Pas and the HushFest House Band.

Audiences can expect acoustic performances with folk, bluegrass and pop-punk influences, original songs and thoughtfully chosen covers.

A song written by quieteers

The event also features the first public performance of A Little Bit of Hush, a new community song. It was created with quieteers, people who identify as quiet, introverted, sensitive, shy, highly sensitive or experiencing social anxiety.

The song has been shaped through community contributions, with Zoe Zalick leading the creative process and the rehearsals with the HushFest House Band.

Hayley Stanton on why it starts here

Hayley Stanton, founder of Quiet Connections CIC, said the venue sets the tone.

“St Cubert’s Church is a beautiful place to begin HushFest. People can come in, look around, listen, and settle in their own time.

“The opening afternoon brings together local musicians, artwork and community voices. It gives people a chance to experience the richness that can be there when quieter ways of being are genuinely welcomed.”

What happens across the festival week

HushFest runs from Saturday 4 July to Friday 10 July, with exhibitions, workshops and creative activities at St Cubert’s Church and Create Contemporary Crafts Hub in Camborne. Contributions have been developed through Quiet Connections’ wider community network across Cornwall.

St Cubert’s Church will host one of the HushFest exhibitions throughout the week, open daily from 10am to 4pm with drop-in workshops each afternoon. People are welcome to come and go as they please, whether that means five minutes or an afternoon.

The exhibition work includes the HushFest Community Gallery, community-created artwork and Quiet Hearts, a large textile installation made from around 2,000 handmade hearts by people across Cornwall. Quiet Hearts will be on display at both St Cubert’s Church and the Camborne hub.

The festival invites people to see quietness as a source of creativity, connection and community life rather than something missing. It also looks at quietness in nature, and the calm, wonder and restoration people often find in Cornwall’s landscapes.

Full details are on the HushFest festival page.

📷Ellie and Zoe Zalick (from the band Zalick) performing at ParkLive. Photo Credit: SourceFM - ParkLive