Lappa Valley’s Grand Gala 2026 – Useful information and Frequently Asked Questions
Useful information and frequently asked questions if you're coming to spend time with us at Lappa Valley's Grand Gala Weekend 2026.
We’re so excited to welcome visitors to our biggest ever Gala Weekend – and it’s shaping up to be a very special weekend of steam, play and family memories.
With visiting engines and special services, there’s a lot going on and we’re looking forward to making memories with you.
If you’d like to make yourself familiar with what to expect, we have a large number of videos from our last two galas available to watch here.
If you have any queries, please don’t hesitate to drop us a line.
Official Grand Gala 2026 posters
The official posters will be available to purchase in the Ticket Office and Gift Shop across the weekend. They are £4.95 each, professionally printed and presented in a cardboard tube for safe keeping. Numbers are extremely limited.
If you have already added a poster to your booking, this will be ready to pick up when you arrive.
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Useful information for those who may be affected by loud noises.
Being a steam gala celebration, things may be a little louder than normal as our drivers and locomotives put on a show. If you, or someone you are with is sensitive to additional noise then please do chat to our team, who can offer advice depending on your requirements.
In particular, the Saturday Finale, Whistle Up and Grand Finale will be extremely noisy, with whistles blaring and cheering crowds.
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Can I ride on all the services?
Yes, your ticket gives you access to all services, across all three railways over the weekend. However, you may not be able to travel before the pre-booked train time on your booking.
We also respectfully ask everyone to be considerate of other passengers when taking repeat journeys.
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I have friends who want to come. Do they need to book?
It’s going to be a very busy weekend, so although we do have a small number of walk-in slots available we highly recommend booking to avoid disappointment.
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Am I allowed to take photos or videos of the services?
Absolutely! Being such a unique and historic event, we know many Lappa fans will want to capture moments for posterity.
Please note that you will only be able to view the railway from the public positions, and trackside access is not available. We may also operate a closed-platform system at East Wheal Rose for safety. Please listen to the instructions of staff at all times.
Lappa Valley will also be capturing photos and videos of the event over the two days.
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Are you offering your Footplate rides?
We regret that due to the nature of the event, with complicated movements we will be unable to offer footplate rides during the gala.
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What happens with the Parallel Runs?
The parallel runs (AKA Train Races) are extremely popular, so we recommend arriving at the platform early to get your space.
The train will have locomotives at either end, and will split down the middle with the rear locos racing the front locos.
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What happens on Sunday's Grand Finale?
The Grand Finale on Sunday will see every single main railway locomotive taking a final bow, pulling every carriage available.
It’s a spectacular sight, and the best viewpoints to see this will be around the public viewing areas along the track loop at East Wheal Rose. For example, the fence next to the trampolines, next to the Didicar Track or over the tunnel.
This will be the final train of the day, and with us having to get so many people on board please be aware that the departure of this train may take a bit longer than normal. We thank you for your patience.
If you need to be back for a particular time, we recommend catching the 1540 departure from East Wheal Rose.