Dartmoor Tors Festival: Bewitched By Dartmoor: Natural Magic And Modern Paganism
Schedule
Sat, 02 May, 2026 at 11:00 am
UTC+01:00Location
Ashburton Arts Centre | Newton Abbot, EN
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During the past 40 years artist Peter Randall-Page has gained an international reputation through his sculpture, drawings and prints; his carvings in stone are often at massive scale and in public places. Peter has lived and worked on Dartmoor for many years. His practice has always been informed and inspired by the study of natural phenomena and its subjective impact on our emotions. In recent years his work has become increasingly concerned with the underlying principles determining growth and the forms it produces. In his words “geometry is the theme on which nature plays her infinite variations, and can be seen as a kind of pattern book on which the most complex and sophisticated structures are based.”Peter's work is held in public and private collections throughout the world including Japan, South Korea, Australia, USA, Turkey, Eire, Germany and the Netherlands. A selection of his public sculptures can be found in many urban and rural locations throughout the UK including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Oxford and Cambridge and his work is in the permanent collections of the Tate Gallery and the British Museum amongst others.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Arts from the University of Plymouth in 1999, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from York St John University in 2009, an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Exeter University in 2010, and an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from Bath Spa University in 2013. In June 2015 Peter was elected as a Royal Academician in the category of sculpture.
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Dartmoor Tors Festival 30 April – 4 May 2026
This is part of the second Dartmoor Tors Festival, happening at various places around Dartmoor. Tickets for festival events at Ashburton Arts Centre are all available at wegottickets.com/dartmoortorsfestival2026. All of the festival goings on are listed at dartmoortorsfestival.co.uk.
The daytime events at the Arts Centre generally last for an hour, with doors opening 15 minutes before the advertised start time.
The festival celebrates the culture of Dartmoor and explores our emotional connection with wild, ancient places. Artists, musicians, writers, archaeologists, campaigners and historians will be sharing their perspectives in a range of events including talks, walks, workshops, concerts and performances.
We kick off with the mesmerising Cole Stacey playing live at Ashburton Arts Centre on Thursday 30 April. On Friday night, 1 May, the thrilling dark folk band, Craven, will be playing, and on Saturday 2 May we have the Mercury Prize-nominated Gwenno. Throughout the weekend, from Friday 1 May through to Sunday 3rd there will be talks and conversations at the main venue, Ashburton Arts Centre, and at the Field System Gallery next door, covering everything from natural witchcraft, nature recovery, mythology and poetry to the visual arts. There will also be walks all over Dartmoor, taking in everything from archaeology to ancient legends, and birdsong to storytelling. There will be free events, including Morris dancing on the Saturday afternoon outside Ashburton Arts Centre and an exhibition at Field System Gallery. On Sunday afternoon, 3 May, the festival will culminate with a new community event, Gudula’s Gathering, incorporating a procession and a well-dressing, in which everyone is invited to take part.
For capacity reasons, all events are ticketed individually. Everything at Ashburton Arts Centre has three prices to suit different pockets – please pay what you can. Choose the lower-priced tickets if you want to attend lots of events. Everything happening at Ashburton Arts Centre can be booked via the links on this page; events elsewhere can be booked via the main festival website: dartmoortorsfestival.co.uk
Doors and bar open at 7pm
Tickets £12 full price, £10 or £7 if you prefer. Please pay what you can. NB A limited number of the lower-priced tickets are available for this event.
Book at wegottickets.com/ashburtonarts (+10% fee) or email [email protected] to reserve and pay on the door.
Ashburton Arts Centre: always three prices – please pay what you can.
Ashburton Arts Centre
Always three prices – please pay what you can. Pay less, come to more! See <a href="https://ashburtonarts.org.uk/access-booking-tickets-parking-finding-us/">Access, Tickets & Finding Us</a> for more about why there are three ticket prices, plus other useful info about coming to events at Ashburton Arts Centre.
Level access from street – please contact us on [email protected] if a wheelchair space is needed, or if you have any other special requirements.
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Where is it happening?
Ashburton Arts Centre, Newton Abbot, United KingdomEvent Location & Nearby Stays:
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