Cheltenham Folk Festival

In 1996 Cheltenham Folk Club organiser John Shorter approached Cheltenham Town Hall with the idea of a mid-winter folk event to "banish the winter blues". He wanted to produce an event that preserved the roots of Folk tradition, showcased budding new talent, and created a friendly atmosphere. Fortuitously, there was a scheduling gap in the Town Hall’s diary during early February, and after much planning, the first Cheltenham Folk Festival took place over the weekend of 7-9 February 1997.

Over the years the festival has included performances from some of the masters of the British folk scene, including Waterson Carthy , Fairport Convention , Brass Monkey , Blazin’ Fiddles , Bellowhead , Kate Rusby , Anam and Flook to name but a few. It has also in recent years showcased overseas groups including the Warsaw Village Band from Poland and the Wailin Jenny’s from Canada. One of the great things about Cheltenham Folk Festival is that alongside the big names, the festival has also been able to provide a platform for new and younger performers such as Tim van Eyken , The Devil’s Interval , The John Dipper Band and Vicki Swan & Johnny Dyer . In 2008 we were proud to present Last Orders - the winners of the BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards 2007.

The festival has a very strong participatory side to it, with a wide range of workshops, where you can learn the techniques behind various instruments and musical styles from the performers themselves. As well as the broad range of concerts, workshops, ceilidhs and children’s activities there is a market place with stalls selling everything from jewellery and clothing to musical instruments, as well as the infamous Real Ale bar.

Over the weekend, the town turns in to a feast of colour and energy as up to 15 morris dance sides take to the streets on the Saturday and Sunday.