May Day in Padstow: how to spend 1 May with the 'Osses

On 1 May Padstow does something it does on no other day. The roads in the old town close, the streets are hung with flags and greenery, and two hobby horses go round the town behind accordions and drums. The earliest written mention of the 'Obby 'Oss at Padstow dates from 1803, and the museum in Station House is clear about what it is: this is Padstow's day, and it is not put on for the people who come to watch. That is the right way to go into it.

The two 'Osses

There are two, each with its own party. The Old 'Oss, sometimes called the Red 'Oss, has its stable at the Golden Lion on Lanadwell Street, a pub that says it is the oldest in Padstow. The Blue Ribbon 'Oss, also called the Peace 'Oss, arrived after the First World War. Padstow Museum says it was based on an earlier Blue Ribbon 'Oss, carried a patriotic red, white and blue ribbon round the rim of its gown and had a beard on its mask, which is how you tell the masks apart. Each 'Oss is a round black frame worn by a dancer, with a small horse's head, a snapping jaw and a teazer, who dances in front of it with a painted club. Behind come 20 or more accordion and drum players in each party, singing. Both parties dress in white, with red neckerchiefs for the Old 'Oss and blue for the Blue Ribbon.

What happens when

It starts at midnight on 30 April, when the church clock has struck twelve and the Night Song is sung unaccompanied outside the Golden Lion. The children's osses come out early, and the museum says they usually finish before 10.30am. The two main osses start their daytime rounds at 10am and 11am; a local enthusiasts' site puts the Blue Ribbon 'Oss first, leaving the Institute, and the Old 'Oss second, from the Golden Lion. The Old 'Oss visits Prideaux Place, the museum says in the morning and the enthusiasts' site says at about midday. Both parties are out again in the afternoon and evening, and late in the evening they meet at the maypole in Broad Street. They are stabled between about 9.30pm and 10pm with a farewell song.

Treat every time above as approximate. The museum publishes the 10am and 11am starts, and everything else moves with the crowd.

Getting in and around

The Town Council publishes the road closure order each year, and its notice for 2025 gave 1 May as a closure from 8am to 10pm. That notice also said the council's Railway and Lawns car parks stayed open as normal, so check the council's news page in April for the year you are going. In 2027 the date is a Saturday. The town's parish is about 2,500 people, and far more than that will be in the old streets, so aim to be in your spot well before the first 'Oss. Two sensible options: come in early and park, or park at Rock and take the ferry across, checking the ferry page for that day's times.

How to watch

Stand back from the ring the teazer makes. The 'Oss dips and charges, and the museum passes on the old story that a maid caught under the gown will be pregnant before the year is out, which is a story and not an invitation. Touching the gown has traditionally been a good luck gesture; the museum says the 'Osses will seek out elderly and infirm Padstonians so they can do it, and that a touch is enough now. The old tar has gone, and the paint no longer comes off on your hand.

Look at the details. Cowslips are worn and much in demand in the run-up. The white tops and trousers were once worn only by a few ex-sailors and are now standard for both parties. The Old 'Oss party's piratical look, the museum says, was introduced in the 1950s. The museum says the snappers on the front of the 'Oss once demanded a coin from onlookers because the money was needed, and that today it goes to charitable causes.

Where to eat and stay

The Golden Lion has three en-suite rooms above the pub, adults only, with a maximum of two people in a room. For the night of 30 April it will be in demand. Padstow's food is on the quays for lunch, but on May Day itself expect queues at every counter, and book anything you can well ahead. Prawn on the Lawn and the Seafood Restaurant both take bookings online, and the Seafood Bar keeps seats back for walk-ins.