UK Folk Festivals - Coming Soon

From humble beginnings, Strawberry Fair has grown to be the most popular free, entirely volunteer run, one day music & arts event in Cambridge (and probably across Europe!), attracting over 30,000 visitors throughout the day. On the first Saturday of June and now passed our 40th year, residents and visitors have gathered together on Midsummer Common to celebrate their vibrant and creative city.

Quite a mixture here, films, talks, and a variety of music styles.

And a name everyone has heard of!

This is very much a mixture of everything you might find at a festival of some sort - circus, jazz, rockabilly, acoustic, dance, folk. brass, swing.

Spread over four days, you might find something you like. Not your standard folk festival, but family friendly fun.

The folk festival on Scotland's lovely little island.

The festival will feature a weekend of open sessions, concerts and Ceilidhs.

Site not fully updated yet.

www.arranevents.com/ used to be the place to look for this event, but now they seem to have just the Facebook page

Come for the music, the local brew and the stunning location. Come for a good time!

The festival is run by volunteers, and money raised is used to improve facilities /features in the venue (the church is no longer used for worship but used by the community for events and music).

Has three main aims in life

To create an enjoyable event for all involved

To raise money for the RNLI

To preserve and promote the maritime heritage of Falmouth and Cornwall

Fabulous music every June on the stunning Gower peninsula.

Tickets limited usually to 350 - 400, so get your soon.

Look at their fabulous location!

Site not fully updated yet.

They always seem to leave it until closer to the event to tell you what is happening.

Ticket prices will be known in March.

Steadily gaining a following.

A great line up over three days with lots of Irish music.

There are concerts, a dance, competitions, informal sessions and various other events during the weekend. This page will provide more details as events are finalised.
(Site incomplete just now.

A new group of Wimborne residents and business folk have come together to proceed with the mammoth task of organising the next festival, and so far it is full steam ahead with plans to continue the legendary festival!
Traditional English and Celtic music and dance. Celidhs, Dance displays, children's entertainers, Market stalls.

Three days of folk, family & fun last weekend in the summer sunshine!

A free family festival celebrating the best in English and World folk music and dance plus poetry, street theatre, art and family fun!

Headline acts as well as exciting folk acts to be announced shortly!
Music, dance and craft workshops
Crafters and stalls
Delicious street food
Festival locations include:

Gathering on the Green
Abbey Ruins Live
Shindig on the Square
The Broadway Circus

Leamington Peace Festival exists to promote peace, environmental harmony and living in co-operation with others.

- By raising awareness of world and local issues

- By giving individuals ways of becoming involved in the world around them

- By providing an opportunity for local crafts people to demonstrate their skills and display their crafts

- By promoting fair trade practices

- By encouraging local artists and entertainers to share their skills

Not quite a folk festival, but it will appeal to some of you

Celebrating 30 years of the Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival a fabulous weekend of folk & roots music.

Up to 15 venues host music and dance from lunchtime on Friday through to Sunday night. On the canalside and in the town centre, artists from around the UK - and beyond.

Also ticketed concerts each day.

The Grand Northern Ukulele Festival is a festival with a bit of a difference.
A team of dedicated ukulele-playing music enthusiasts who volunteer our time to produce a festival that is truly like no other. Every year we try to find new talent to showcase, we develop new activities to get people playing and sharing music with each other.

There's a range of workshops (including one where you build your own diddly bow), events for all ages and a chance to do something a bit unique.

There will be around 50 events taking place in the village of Lymm including dance, drama, music, comedy and literature. During the Festival, Lymm celebrates the wealth and diversity of talents to be found amongst the members of the community, and provides plenty of opportunities for exploring and enjoying the local environment.

With music of all kinds, dance, drama, spoken word, comedy, visual arts and crafts

Country music in Yorkshire.

We often include somoething that isn't your traditional folk festival, and country music is sort of folky. So here it is.

Large variety of acts, this replaces the Beverley Folk Festival.

This weekend many of the pubs host various sessions and the streets are alight with various performances including morris dancers, children's entertainers, musicians and mummers entertaining locals and visitors alike.

Sadly, no website can be traced just a facebook page at this location

A weekend of dance and music
in this lovely cathedral city.

Dances - Displays - Workshops - Morris Tours

Formally known as Whitby Spring Session. This is a small event so book soon.

The format of the event is as follows:

- Live music is scheduled on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.

- Camping is available from the Thursday. Showers and toilets are available.

- A Friday night Fish & Chip Supper is included as well as breakfast on Saturday and Sunday mornings.

- The wonderful town of Whitby is a short walk or taxi ride away, there is lots to discover during the day.

couldn't find details on a website, just the link above

The festival aims to create a generous, hospitable space in Scotland where the arts can be performed and enjoyed by all.

Music, talks, film, dance, performing and visual arts.

Not explicitly a folk festival, but worth considering.

A 3 day festival for our global community with the stated objective as the expansion of consciousness from the material to the ethereal.

Mixed genre, with a fair bit of acoustic and folk music. Check the line up to see if it suits you.

BuskFest is an international busking festival which takes place in Banbridge, County Down, Northern Ireland. The event, which is now in its 15th year, attracts 6000+ people from across the globe to Banbridge Town Centre.

Portsoy's annual celebration of our rich maritime and cultural heritage. . . beautiful boats . . . exhilarating skiff races on the open seas . . . maritime and rural craft demonstrations . . . non-stop song and dance . . .mouth-watering food and drink and adventure at the Sports Village (not just for kids!). Not stop song and dance, with an acoustic and Scottish flavour.

An international festival based in the picturesque village of Ballydehob, West Cork, featuring maritime and other folk music.
Sea songs, shanties, dance, craft market, maritime food stalls, workshops, sea songwriting competition, busking, music in the pubs and main stage on Ballydehob pier. There will also be an Art Expo throughout the weekend.

June 2020 sees the triumphant return of Góbéfest, the UK's only free weekend-long festival to celebrate the music, dance, culture, food and drink of the legendary region of Transylvania.

They come for the sausages, goulash, craft beer and super strength fruit brandy Palinka. But they stay for the high-spirited foot-stomping, bottle-balancing and thigh-slapping folk dance and the 57+ varieties of live Transylvanian music.

Perennial festival favourites include a Transylvanian/Celtic punk band, a zither orchestra, a hurdy gurdy man and a revolving rosta of brightly-costumed folk dance troupes from Romania, Hungary and the UK.

With a new central venue of Cathedral Gardens, this fourth installment of the annual shindig promises music, mititei (spicy Romanian sausages) and merrymaking from Friday lunchtime through to Sunday evening.

This year’s Góbéfest also features a family activity tent providing arts and music workshops throughout the weekend, enchanting puppet shows, a makers' craft market , folk dance demonstrations, small-batch craft food sampling and many other musical and culinary delights.

Góbéfest was established in 2017 to celebrate the little-known culture and traditions of the Székler people – a minority group of ethnic Hungarians living in Transylvania, which is part of Romania.

A Góbé is a friendly word for a 'crafty Székely'.

The UK's biggest free festival.

Across a swathe of indoor and outdoor venues in public spaces around Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, our much-loved event is now widely recognised as the largest free folk festival in the country.
Two ticketed concerts, the rest is free.

A weekend event showcasing 15 to 20 local and independent music's best bands. Our goal is to create a reasonably priced, small summer music festival that provides an overwhelmingly positive, comfortable and fun, family experience for both attendees and musicians in a beautiful countryside setting for around 500 people. We also aim to support local young musicians by providing a stage for them.

The main events are on the Saturday. These will consist of a day of dance in the City Centre, a day of music with free showcase performances in local pubs and other venues, sessions and singarounds and a festival concert in the Maltings Arts Theatre.

Down where the cider apples grow lives a small friendly festival.
With a very friend ticket price!

Singalongs, Workshops, Concerts.

This year we will be repeating the independent Real Ale bar.

Music-lovers can look forward to a great day out this summer, as the 6th Bury St Edmunds Folk Festival once again brings its own brand of magic to the town.
The one-day event will be on Saturday 30th June in the walled garden at Nowton Park. With craft stalls, children's activities, music workshops, hot food and a bar with local real ales, this promises to be a wonderful day for the whole family.
The festival is organised by Bury Folk Collective, a not-for-profit group which promotes a diverse range of excellent local folk acts at events throughout the year.

As well as the main stage acts, there will be an Acoustic Tent with beginners' music workshops, informal sessions and a competition for newcomers to folk performance. This is a great space to try making music yourself in a relaxed and friendly way.

Full disabled access to site, reserved viewing area and toilet facilities

A small event, new to our lists.
Top names, beer festival and great food.

New website now live.
Note how inexpensive this one is.

2020 line will be announced shortly.

With four outdoor music stages, two ceilidh dances and over twenty teams of morris dancers in the streets overlooking Poole's lovely Harbour.

With colourful displays of dance and outdoor stages for concerts and ceilidh and lovely views across the stunning harbour.

Well, I think you can guess what this event is all about. ;)

Part of a seven day music festival, with Saturday being the folk day.
Rated as one of the top three UK free summer events.

The New Forest Folk Festival is the small festival with the big names. Located to the north of The New Forest National Park near Southampton it's an ideal venue for campers with it's riverside campsite and unspoilt farm setting. The site opens Thursday lunchtime to allow travel and a chance to relax for the afternoon before the music begins. Additional attractions include local trade and craftsfolk, and of course local ale.

An acoustic festival for indie and contemporary music.
Shortlisted for Best Independent Festival 2015. Best Small Festival.

Established festival in Yorkshire, popular with many people. Craft fair, sessions, and award winning headline acts.
Several local venues.

Lots of big names.

Come along and join in the fun!

In its 33rd year!

The event is spread over many days and different locations.

Taking place in venues mostly in the Sleat peninsula at the southern end of the Island, the Skye Festival or Feis an Eilein is a celebration of island culture and performing arts with a strong focus on Scottish traditional music, all spiced up with Jazz, Theatre, and lots, lots more.

Organised by SEALL, the festival hosts around 30 top quality events in music and innovative theatre, with a community-led fringe programme of house concerts, charity cafes, environmental days, food and drink, art exhibitions and ceilidhs.

Bringing together a star studded group of acts who have graced the stage at individual concerts for two days of quality music.

Real Music, Real Ale, Real Field.
Taking place in the heart of Norfolk near to the village of West Acre, the "Folk in a Field Festival" brings together a diverse mix of performers from the acoustic, folk and roots music scene. The rural setting of the festival, surrounded by woodland, contributes to a real get away from it all vibe in which to enjoy some great music, take in interesting craft demonstrations, craft stalls or sample local food.

A general arts festival, with a variety of types of events, including some folk music.

(There's often a separate Folk Festival in February.)

Seize this opportunity to become immersed in all aspects of traditional music for Irish harp. Develop skills and repertoire from ancient harpers' tunes to songs and slow airs to jigs and reels.

A highlight of An Chuirt Chruitireachta is our popular evening public concert series. Featuring world-renowned harpers from Ireland and further afield, this series is a major annual showcase celebrating Irish harping.

Perched on top of the beautiful Yorkshire Wolds, Set in the grounds of the Wold Top Brewery.. Moonbeams Festival is one of the country's best kept secrets!

The festival provides the perfect weekend away to enjoy world class folk music and award winning ales in the most beautiful surroundings!

They also run an event in March.

The winter event can sell out quickly, so act fast if you are interested.

Join the many friends who will celebrate our anniversary with us. Always a g reat atmosphere. S pecial guests include The Occasionals, The Border Directors, The Spiers Family. Enjoy dances concerts, competitions, hosted singing room, outdoor stage, sessions. Try a workshop with The Border Directors (border songs and tunes), Ailsa Mackenzie (harp/dulcimer), Pete Shepheard (ballads) or Kevin Tilbury (bellows pipes).

As our website is being updated there are some details if you want to check on https://www.visitnewcastleton.com/listing/newcastleton-music-festival/

Many Sandwich Pubs will put on Folk music throughout the weekend, there will be street music and dancing.

The Pub events will be free to enter with main events at St. Mary's Arts Centre ticketed, see their website for details.

A free outdoor concert and Saturday and Sunday

Roots music from both sides of the Atlantic - Americana Music

"One of the friendliest, most sincere festivals in England... fine music, great fun, delightful people and an idyllic rural setting" said The Telegraph

A taste of Irish traditional music, arts and culture.

Traidphicnic is a festival of traditional music, arts and culture, and would like to welcome everyone from all over the world to Spiddal.

A new festival in 2016, it's back for the fourth time.

Spend a chilled-out day enjoying the nation's favourite folk artists in the beautiful Hertfordshire countryside.

This is a one-day event with 4 separate venues including free events on the village green. Main stage has 3 ticketed concerts and there are workshops and a continuous concert in the 13th century church.

A major traditional Irish music, song and dance event held annually in Miltown Malbay, County Clare, Ireland.

With instrument and dance classes, lectures, workshops, recitals and céilithe all through the week.

An annual music and ale festival held in the picturesque village of Worrall on the outskirts of Sheffield. With beautiful views of the Peak District Worrall is the ideal location for this celebration of live music, good food and fine local ales.

It is also usually one of the least expensive paid events.

Each year since 1947, over 4,000 performers from across the globe head to the beautiful little Welsh town to take part in a unique event combining competition, performance, and international peace and friendship. Around 25 different competitions celebrate song, music and dance, climaxing with the prestigious 'Choir of the World' where winning choirs compete for the Pavarotti Trophy.
Traditional folk singing and dancing from across the globe

POSTPONEd until next year - Covid-19

Bromsgrove is so much more than a series of concerts with headline artists. Club singers and budding artists are encouraged to add to the Bromsgrove Experience with singarounds, open mics, and the like including, of course, the legendary sessions in the pub bar....then there is the Ukulele Workshop (BUMS) and the Festival Choir (BOTOMS)

Bromsgrove Folk Festival has been described as small and friendly, bijou even, but it is so much more than that......it is enormous in heart and aspiration. We have a pub for sessions (and beer of course), a large camping field (open from 2.00pm on Thursday), a 350 capacity Main Marquee for "up close and personal" concerts, a MiniMarquee (seating about 125) for smaller concerts, singarounds, etc., and excellent toilet facilities.

From small beginnings in 2013 the Folk on the Farm festival has quickly established itself as one of the highlights of the folk festival calendar, attracting hundreds each year and featuring some of the best folk artists from around the UK.

Includes Quality Real Ale (from The Great Orme Brewery Company), Festival Food, Stalls, Fringe Festival in Cafe, Singarounds & Sessions.

Cornbury is eccentric, charming and irresistible - a homespun melting pot, with a variety of music styles to be heard.
An eclectic mix of music across 4 stages, the hugely popular Absolute Radio Comedy Tent, the brilliant Festival of Words hosted by QI and Unbound, a fantastic children's area with a complete programme of workshops.

Something just a bit different.

An explosion of bands and performers combining brass with folk, opera, dance and spectacular outdoor theatre descends on County Durham to fill some stunning venues and City streets with music and fantastic visual effects. With new, cutting edge collaborations, digital trails and established and emerging bands trumping brass in every genre imaginable, it's a feast of international cultures and sounds.

With its beautiful cathedral towering majestically above the surrounding countryside, the City of Ely lies in the heart of the Cambridgeshire Fens, famed for spectacular sunsets and the vast open sky. What better location for a weekend of the best in folk music and dance?

The Folk Festival is based on a single site which includes marquees, camping facilities, food stalls, trade stands, real-ale bar, real toilets, showers, children's entertainment.

Furness Tradition is a folk-arts development group based in the Furness market town of Ulverston on the edge of the Lake District in north-west England. The group was initiated by volunteers to celebrate, encourage and make familiar the musical inheritance of the Furness and South Lakeland area of South Cumbria.

A family run festival in two towns separated by a river.

This is it's sixth year of existance.
The title says it all.

A friendly festival held in the idyllic setting of our Village Green high on the beautiful Mendip Hills AONB near Wells in Somerset. Now in its 24th year this festival has a reputation for exciting new folk. In the past we have had Kan, Treacherous Orchestra, and Flook. Some names booked already include the Will Pound Band and
Nizlopi. The weekend also provides great music, and dance, workshops, yoga sessions, club tent, an excellent craft and traders market, guided archaeology walks, a full programme of children's entertainment and much more

A small, friendly, community based music festival set in the heart of Northumberland in Rothbury in the beautiful Coquet Valley. Over the last three decades Rothbury Festival has established a unique atmosphere that has drawn musicians and singers from throughout the country and beyond to spend a weekend sharing music and experiencing Northumbrian traditions.

Can't find their website, but the facebook page has details.

Deep in the heart of Wales, Rudry, population 1000, is the Rudry Music Festival. Two days of originalmusic and spoken word, for all ages.Features contemporary, alternative and traditional music artists, with food and real ale.

Family freindly

The small NE Coastal Town of Stonehaven comes alive with a Weekend of Music and song - Concerts in the Town Hall plus workshops, Ceilidh, sessions, late night concerts, free afternoon concerts, Family show, Aqua ceilidh, World paper and Comb Championships, Tradition Bearers Concert and more all around the Town.

Think picture-perfect white sands. World-famous surf. Deserted roads lined with lush greenery and wild flowers. Not forgetting more sunshine than practically anywhere else in the UK. It's little wonder that the tiny Hebridean island of Tiree is nicknamed the Hawaii of the North.

Add to this three separate campsites - the main campsite, family campsite and campervan area - and the now famous Community Village with its many stalls and events, and TMF guarantees you an authentic flavour of Tiree. Which, in a nutshell, is the whole idea behind the festival.