Press release 15/01/07.
Plans are well advanced for Southwell to have its first ever folk festival, to coincide with the Town Festival and the annual Gate to Southwell procession of Morris dancers, to give the town its most exciting and vibrant weekend of the year.
The provisional line-up includes several top performers from the English folk
scene, including the Kathryn Tickell Band, the New Rope String Band, Vicki
Clayton, John Tams and Barry Coope, and Vin Garbutt. Other headline acts will be
announced later.
The three day festival will be held on an 8.5 acre site next to the town’s
workhouse, a flagship National Trust attraction.
Also in the line-up on June 8, 9 and 10 are John Kirkpatrick and Mr Gubbins’
Bicycle, Pete Morton, Stanley Accringon, Winter Wilson, Something Nasty in the
Woodshed, and Stephen Fearing.
In addition to performers in the main marquee, there will be an open mike
session marquee, a dance display area, children’s and youths’ events,
singarounds, and opportunities to meet the artists.
There will also be entertainments for children, camping facilities and a
selection of franchises.
Mr Mike Kirrage, the chairman of the organising committee, said: “Many towns and cities up and down the country have their own folk festival, and I thought it was about time Southwell joined the party. “The aim is to make it an event for the whole town, and indeed the whole area to enjoy. We have many exciting acts on the bill, and it will be a real eye-opener for anyone who doesn’t understand what modern folk music is about. “It should be great for local businesses, and help raise the cultural profile of Southwell across the region.”
The first day of the festival will be a children’s day followed by a concert and ceilidh in the evening, and there will be traditional music and dance teaching in schools in the area in the run-up to the event, conducted by several of the leading performers.
There will also be workshops and sessions throughout the town, with the workhouse being used for some of these. The festival will include a beer festival, with about 40 guest beers, mostly from micro breweries, and will include specially commissioned brews.
The festival will coincide with the start of the two-week Southwell Town Festival, and the town centre will be closed to traffic for a three-day street market.
The folk festival is a non-profit making event, with grants being sought from bodies such as the Network Fund, Awards For All, and the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The organising committee is also seeking funding from local sponsors.