Sunday 15th June 2025

Day Ticket

Art Activism: Performance with Power and Communities for Change

A Day of talks, ideas, and encounters exploring how creativity can shape the world.

From 11am, the Heligan Home Stage invites you into a series of conversations that ask big questions. Hear from peace-pilgrim, former monk, and lifelong activist Satish Kumar, whose life is a lesson in purposeful living. Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller brings a bold and brilliant perspective on the intersection of art, politics, and everyday life. Tim Taylor, creator of Time Team, explores how story, science, and the land come together to shape our past and our future.

Joining the stage, Dr. Jenny Goodman offers a vital lens on environmental health and the role of medicine in a changing climate. Her voice brings insight, urgency, and hope, challenging us to see planetary wellbeing and human health as deeply entwined. With years of experience in ecological medicine, her call to action is both practical and profound.

Paul Powlesland, a barrister, environmental campaigner, and founder of Lawyers for Nature, brings the voice of the trees to the conversation, quite literally. With wit and wisdom, he challenges legal norms and invites us to reimagine our relationship with the natural world, advocating for the rights of rivers, woodlands, and wild places.

They are joined by Mike Shepherd, founder of the visionary Kneehigh Theatre, whose work has long explored joyful and archaic and innovative theatre.

What’s on site

  • 9:00 – Gardens open to ticket holders and garden visitors             

    9:30 – Beaver tour

    10:00 - Home Stage / Festival Area Open

    11:00 - Home Stage - Paul Powlesland

    11:00 - Unveiling Heligan: A Journey Through its Stories and Secrets

    11:45 - Home Stage - Dr Jenny Goodman 

    12:30 - Home Stage - Satish Kumar

    13:00 – Family Forage with Emma Gunn

    14:00 - Home Stage - Mike Shepherd

    14:45 - Home Stage - Jeremy Deller

    15:45 - Home Stage - Tim Taylor

    17:30 - Home Stage closes

    Our Yoga session, walks and talks in bold are free for ticket holders. You'll be prompted to book these sessions at our checkout.

  • We encourage you to arrive early, soak up the festival atmosphere and explore the day’s experiences and immersive moments.

    Whether you’re drawn to the rich history of Heligan, captivated by horticulture, intrigued by the poetry of Simon Armitage, or simply here to enjoy a magical day out with your family, there’s a path for everyone. And sometimes, the most meaningful journey is the one where you lose yourself a little. In June, the gardens are in full bloom, offering quiet corners, hidden trails, and the kind of beauty that makes you feel, somehow, at home.

    Beyond the stage, the festival continues to unfold across the landscape. Walkways meander through meadows alive with colour and pollinators. Pop-up musicians surprise and delight around quiet corners. Wellbeing spaces offer pause, reflection, and a chance to reconnect.

  • Family fun awaits in the vibrant Play Meadow, where little adventurers and grown-up explorers alike can enjoy archery, axe throwing, face painting, bubbles galore, and more.

  • When it's time to refuel, the Heligan Home Kitchen is open all day, serving delicious home-cooked dishes and soul-nourishing refreshments in a setting that feels like... well, home.

Sunday 15th June 2025

Evening Ticket

Garden Melodies: An Evening of Folk Music Amid the Foliage

Folk singer, conservationist, and activist Sam Lee takes to the Home Stage for a night of song and story.

Set beneath the canopies of Heligan’s lush gardens, this special performance invites you to connect with nature through music and words, with acclaimed folk singer, conservationist, and song collector Sam Lee as our headline act.

Sam’s voice has long been a compelling force in challenging and redefining what folk music can be in the modern world. His latest critically acclaimed album songdreaming is named Mojo's Album of the Month and gives voice to the forgotten and the lost, breathing new life into ancient melodies.

With support from Daisy Rickman, whose hauntingly beautiful vocals will join Sam’s. Together, their voices will carry you through a world of nature, tradition, and the bond between song and soil. Heligan’s very own saxophonist Jamie from the Garden Team will support the sound of both Sam and Daisy.

We encourage you to arrive early, wander the gardens, and allow the spirit of Heligan to settle in your soul. Whether you’re drawn to the rich history of these gardens or simply here for a night of music, Garden Melodies promises to be a highlight of your Homecoming experience.

  • 17:00 - Doors open to Heligan Kitchen
    for Lost Supper guests

    18:00 - Gates open 

    18:30 - Jamie Juffs - Saxophonist

    19:15 - Daisy Rickman 

    20:00 - Sam Lee

    22:00 - Close

  • Each Heligan Homecoming evening will see the Heligan Hospitality Team firing up the BBQ.