18–30 Holidays in Cornwall – Newquay & Polzeath
Surf all day, party all night – Cornwall’s north coast is made for a holiday with your mates.
Whether you are into surfing, festivals, outdoor adventure or just a good night out, Cornwall has it covered. Newquay is the county’s party capital, with world-class surf on the doorstep, while Polzeath is a laid-back surf village that is perfect for learning to ride the waves. This guide covers the best beaches, things to do, nights out, festivals and budget places to stay.
Newquay – Surf Capital of the UK
Newquay sits on a string of golden beaches, most of them a short walk from the town centre. Fistral is the UK’s most famous surf beach and hosts national and international competitions, while Towan, by the harbour, is the town beach with its island and suspension bridge. Lusty Glaze is a private cove with a beach bar, and Watergate Bay is two miles of sand just up the coast.
Surf schools and board hire are everywhere, and there is plenty more to try: coasteering (swimming, scrambling and cliff-jumping round the headlands), stand-up paddleboarding, jet-ski safaris and kitesurfing. On a rest day, chill out at a clifftop sauna, play adventure golf or eat your way round the street food stalls.
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Nights Out in Newquay
Newquay’s nightlife is famous, and most of it is packed into a few streets in the town centre, so you can walk between bars. Start with sunset drinks in a clifftop beer garden or a craft beer bar like Project Eighty Three in Wesley Yard, move on to live music and cocktail bars, and finish in a late-opening club – some stay open until 3 or 4am in summer.
Venues come and go, so check what is on before you go. And look after each other: stick with your friends, never leave drinks unattended, use the “Ask for Angela” scheme if you feel unsafe, and pre-book a taxi back to your campsite or holiday park – the rank queues can be long and the roads out of town are often unlit.
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Festivals & Gigs
Boardmasters is Cornwall’s biggest party – a five-day surf and music festival every August, with ten stages on the clifftops at Watergate Bay and surf, skate and BMX events at Fistral. Started as a surf contest in 1981, it now draws around 58,000 people; the 2026 line-up ran from 5 to 9 August. Tickets and nearby accommodation go quickly.
The Eden Sessions bring big names to the arena in front of the Biomes at the Eden Project each summer. The 2026 series, the biggest yet, marked Eden’s 150th show with Wolf Alice, Snow Patrol, Pixies, Bastille, Ben Howard and The Maccabees, and tickets include entry to the gardens. In winter, Eden turns on the lights and ice rink for its festive season.
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Polzeath – Learn to Surf
Polzeath is a chilled-out but buzzing surf village on the north coast near Padstow. Its wide, gently shelving Blue Flag beach has slow-breaking waves – you walk out with your board instead of paddling – so it is one of the best places in Cornwall to learn, with several surf schools and lifeguards in summer.
Grab breakfast or pizza with sea views at the beach cafes, then walk the National Trust headland at Pentire for views of the Rumps and a chance of spotting dolphins. Over the hill, Daymer Bay and Rock are the place for water-skiing, wakeboarding and kayaking on the Camel Estuary, and the ferry crosses from Rock to Padstow, where you can hire bikes for the Camel Trail.
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Where to Stay
Newquay has plenty of budget options for groups: backpacker hostels and surf lodges close to Towan and Fistral, campsites and holiday parks just outside town (some with their own bars and entertainment), and self-catering apartments and houses. Around Polzeath you will find campsites, holiday parks and cottages, many within walking distance of the beach.
Summer – and especially Boardmasters week – books up early, so plan ahead. Browse holiday accommodation in Newquay, camping in Newquay and holidays in Polzeath, or see the listings below.
This guide is for inspiration only – opening times, events and venues change, so always check details before you travel.
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