Broadstairs Folk Festival returns this summer for a week of traditional folk music, dance workshops and Kent beers

Appreciate regular folk music in a common seaside city as Broadstairs Folk 7 days returns this August.

The week-lengthy festival will showcase audio from a lot more than 400 artists and factors to do all around the town, with totally free outside stages, pub gigs and ticketed functions all taking part in their portion.

Broadstairs Folk Week hopes to make its triumphant full-scale return this August. Picture: Tony Flashman
Broadstairs Folk 7 days hopes to make its triumphant whole-scale return this August. Picture: Tony Flashman

The a lot-liked new music event made its put up-Covid return past 12 months, but on a a great deal smaller sized scale than earlier decades. Even so, this summer time the competition organisers prepare on bringing back again the complete pageant with a bang.

The line-up is vast and ranges from large names to up-and-coming artists.

Pageant headliners consist of Lindisfarne, Demonstrate of Arms, the Longest Johns, the Spooky Men’s Chorale, Spiers and Boden, Sharon Shannon, the Magpie Arc and Tim Edey.

Folk legends Lindisfarne are headlining the festival this year. Picture: Gren Sowerby
Folks legends Lindisfarne are headlining the festival this 12 months. Photo: Gren Sowerby

Greener artists such as Erin Mansfield, Loshn Klezmer Trio and Foot Down will be also performing to crowds of prospective new supporters.

Whilst numerous visitors appear to sing and dance the week absent, there is also a great deal to do when the musicians are off-stage tuning their devices and warming up their vocal chords.

Faversham brewery Shepherd Neame have partnered with the competition and will have a bar future to the out of doors bandstand, overlooking the sea, the place punters can sample their favorite local beers these kinds of as Whitstable Bay, Spitfire and Masterbrew.

Sample beers from Britain's oldest brewer as Shepherd Neame sponsor this year's festival. Picture: Shepherd Neame
Sample beers from Britain’s oldest brewer as Shepherd Neame sponsor this year’s festival. Photograph: Shepherd Neame

Three of the town’s Shepherd Neame pubs will be having part in Broadstairs People Week. The Royal Albion, the Neptunes Corridor and the Wrotham Arms will all be web hosting stay new music, as nicely as serving up pub food, beverages and a energetic ambiance.

“Folk Week itself retains evolving, and so does what we do for it,” states the Wrotham Arms licensee Jackie Lawson. “We always do heaps of stay gigs. I adore it! People 7 days has a wonderful ambiance, and it is so nice to see all the standard People Week followers returning every single yr.”

The Wrotham Arms will be just one of the many pubs in Broadstais with live music during the busy week. Picture: Shepherd Neame
The Wrotham Arms will be just 1 of the many pubs in Broadstais with stay audio throughout the hectic week. Picture: Shepherd Neame

There will also be a comprehensive programme of dances and ceilidhs – conventional Irish or Scottish social collecting with songs and dancing – at the Sarah Thorne theatre.

Throughout the week, readers can acquire aspect in workshops covering English folks dance, featuring dance workshops in English Folks dance, Cajun dance and Appalachian clogging.

In other places in the city, there will be loads of actions to join in with, these kinds of as African dance, drumming and guitar workshops, ukulele lessons, sea shanties, poetry readings and the Band in a Weekend task where youthful people today can carry together their instruments and start their own bands.

Learn traditional English folk dancing at festival workshops - or just watch and cheer from the sidelines. Picture: Tony Flashman
Master classic English folk dancing at festival workshops – or just enjoy and cheer from the sidelines. Photo: Tony Flashman

The colourful pageant parade, which sees Morris dancers, entertainers and competition mascots skip by means of the Substantial Street, also returns this calendar year after getting set on hold in 2021.

Just following doorway to the bandstand in the Victoria Gardens you will also come across the tunes and crafts good. The free of charge truthful will be house to stalls providing presents, arts and crafts, vintage style and far more.

Within the good, you will also uncover foodstuff and drink suppliers, such as the Pork and Co, the Wonderful British Cheese Corporation, the Olive Hut, Granny Sally’s Fudge, the Sawley Kitchen and the Jack Hamilton bar, which is operate by competition volunteers.

Whilst in city, you can also stroll down to the sandy beach front, get a crack in any of Broadstairs’ seafront bars and places to eat, and pay a visit to the town’s independent shops.

Visitors to the coastal town can expect dancing and singing in the streets as crowds celebrate the festival's return. Picture: Tony Flashman
Site visitors to the coastal town can anticipate dancing and singing in the streets as crowds rejoice the festival’s return. Picture: Tony Flashman

Broadstairs Folks Week will be welcoming readers from Friday, August 5 to Friday, August 12.

Entry to the festival, which include the bandstand, fair and a quantity of pubs gigs is free, but some headline and indoor performances are ticketed.

For extra facts and the total festival programme, simply click here.