Porthleven Arts Festival has returned for its second year, starting today (Saturday) and running all this week.

Created and run by Porthleven Arts Community, this year the festival includes a 'meet the maker' element, giving the public the chance to meet artists around Porthleven in their studio environments.

Those taking part include ceramicist Jake Boex, who will open the doors of his studio on The Gue to share his love of creating wheel-thrown ceramics inspired by a life lived in and around the sea.

There’s also a chance to look inside Porthleven’s famous Bickford Smith Institute below the clock tower, where local writer and Porthleven mermaid Suzie Inman will be joined by different artists each day, beginning with a two-day installation by Maxine Greer who lives and works in Porthleven and has exhibited in numerous shows in the UK and internationally.

Maxine was awarded the People’s Choice Award at Peterborough Museum for her ‘Flock’, an installation of over 200 paper sparrows, which she will showcase at the Porthleven event.

Festival director Alec Short said: “There’s a real artist community in Porthleven that we don’t always see. We’re creating a map that will allow visitors to create their own walking tour around the galleries and art-related businesses of Porthleven, as well as visit our local artists in their studios and the events taking place as part of the Festival.”

The full programme can be found at porthlevenartsfestival.com, where you sort what's happening by either event type or by date. There are also maps to pick up in venues around Porthleven, including the Shipyard Market.

The week of events will also feature exhibitions in surprising spaces, including Origins: The Porthleven Prize, in the Breageside Netloft. The Porthleven Prize offers students from Bath Spa University and Falmouth University the rare opportunity to work collaboratively and learn from each other, and to produce work for a touring exhibition of creative work, seeking inspiration form Porthleven.

After an initial residency with 20 students, five students from each university were chosen for a fully-funded residency based in Porthleven, and this exhibition showcases their work.

There will also be a chance to check out Porthleven’s newest sculpture, Waiting for Fish by Holly Bendall. Read more: New sculpture in Porthleven unveiled by celebrity chef – and man who inspired it

In the evenings a programme of films in a pop up cinema at the Netloft will include Into the Night, documenting the Penlee Lifeboat disaster, with a music performance by Rosie Crow afterwards; Tin by Miracle Theatre, followed by a Q and A by director Bill Scott; and surf film The Yin and Yang of Gerry Lopez.

The evening music programme will also include St Bartholemew’s Church concert performances by soprano Evelyn Strasburger and the return of local sea shanty favourites Bryher’s Boys.

And in the evenings the harbour will light up with a host of giant lanterns created by the team at Truro’s City of Lights, including a large whale and a huge flying lady.

Businesses across the town are getting involved too, with The Atlantic Inn showcasing art by locals and regulars, the Albatross Gallery featuring an exhibition of paintings by watercolourist Sophie Penstone, tours of The Shoals Brewery and lots of artistic activity, including a specially themed emerging artist wall in The Shipyard Market.

The Shipyard Market will also be the focus tomorrow (Sunday) morning for Mermaid Day, when a mermaid grotto will offer storytelling, crafting and meet and greet opportunities with a host of merfolk from across Cornwall and the South West.

Porthleven’s Raft Race will take place at 2.30pm and then at 5pm the mermaids will swim out into the harbour.

The week will finish with a special edition of local vintage clothing event Sundowner Vibes and Vintage Finds next Sunday, October 2, bringing upcycling and vintage workshops as well as lots of sustainable shopping opportunities.

The event has been made possible this year by a grant from the National Lottery Community Fund.