Until 1832, Penzance didn’t have its own parish church, meaning the people of the town had to travel to Madron every Sunday to worship.
Madron’s feast day occurs on the first Sunday and Monday of Advent (the fourth Sunday before Christmas). Celebrations continue for the entire week following the main days of the festival and include a visit of the local hunt, a feast bazaar and a feast concert.
The feast is named after St Maddern, who lived as a hermit in the Madron area. The ancient well and baptistery of the saint can be found near Madron. The well has a great deal of superstitions associated with it, including curing disease and fortune telling.
In the past Madron Feast was a popular time for guise dancing: a Cornish tradition in which people disguise themselves and perform music, dance and drama. At one time the feast was famous, and was even recorded by BBC Radio in 1937.
