Today, in mid-December, it's pouring with rain and blowing a gale here in Cornwall. There's nowhere better than the wild west country when the Summer sun is shining though, so let's lift our spirits by looking ahead to what the folk festivals of Devon and Cornwall have in store for us in 2020.
THE SIDMOUTH FOLK FESTIVAL 31st July - 7th August 2020
HEADLINERS: Show of Hands, Jon Boden & the Remnant Kings,
Eddi Reader, Home Service (with John Tams), Eliza Carthy.
Special pre-festival shows with Steeleye Span and The Fisherman’s Friends
Super Earlybird tickets now on sale
The Sidmouth Folk Festival bursts into action for the 66th successive year in summer 2020, bringing an irresistible feast of world-class traditional music, song and dance to the Devonshire seaside.
One of the West Country’s perennial cultural highlights and a rousing stalwart of the folk world calendar, the week-long celebration attracts tens of thousands of music lovers and makers to the unique, unspoilt Regency coastal resort.
With more than 700 separate events, large and small, to choose from, Sidmouth offers something for everyone – from the diehard traditional folk fan to the curious first-timer dipping a toe in the folk pond. A passionate champion of great talent – past, present and future – the forward-thinking festival is a place where the love of tradition is passed on from generation to generation, while the rules are frequently rewritten en route. Rising stars of tomorrow meet the established grandees of the traditional genre, via an explosion of eclectic performance by artists from near and far.
Warming up the Ham – the festival’s major seated venue – this year will be storming pre-festival shows from folk rock icons Steeleye Span (July 30, evening), now celebrating their 51st year of merry-making, and Cornwall’s number one buoy band The Fisherman’s Friends (July 31, afternoon) who have brought traditional shanty singing out of the shadows and into the limelight of major national stages and cinema screens.
Ham stage headliners are:
Devon folk, roots and acoustic heroes and festival patrons Show of Hands – singer songwriter Steve Knightley and multi-instrumentalist Phil Beer this time performing as a four-piece with long-time collaborator Miranda Sykes and renowned percussionist Cormac Byrne.
Leading folk vocalist and multi-instrumentalist and former Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden and the six-piece Remnant Kings band.
Multi award-winning Scottish singer songwriter Eddi Reader MBE celebrating 40 years of live performance.
Folk rock veterans Home Service with former lead singer John Tams returning to play select dates in 2020, alongside John Kirkpatrick and co.
Multi-award winning singer, songwriter and musician Eliza Carthy MBE with songs from Restitute, her first “solo” album of traditional music in 14 years.
There’s a thrilling roll-call of names already on the bill across all the festival stages, with many more to be revealed soon:
Scottish funk dub folksters Peatbog Faeries, ska meets squeezebox maestros Edward II, high energy dance and fusion pioneers Demon Barbers XL, acclaimed Irish singer and bouzouki player Daoiri Farrell, rocking Quebecois outfit Yves Lambert Trio, young guns Trials of Cato, piper and BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Horizon award winner Brìghde Chaimbeul, Scottish firebrands Talisk, Canadian roots trio The East Pointers, The Magpie Arc with Nancy Kerr, Martin Simpson, Adam Holmes, Tom A Wright and Alex Hunter, The Melrose Quartet – Nancy Kerr and James Fagan with Jess and Richard Arrowsmith, Matt Cranitch and Jackie Daly, Will Pound’s A Day Will Come, Cock & Bull Band, Granny’s Attic, France’s Central Bal, Jackie Oates and John Spiers, Ben Paley, Frankie Armstrong, Mairearad Green and Anna Massie, Mike Wilson, Rosie Hood Trio, Bulgarian singer Eugenia Georgieva, Rachel Hair and Ron Jappy, and English country dance band Kirkophany.
There’s a veritable smorgasbord of fun and frolics on the menu right across the town, and the added attraction of an impromptu knees-up around every corner. Take your pick from the major concerts, lively late-night roots parties, intimate sessions, ceilidhs and folk dancing, storytelling, family entertainment and youth-centred sessions, hands-on workshops and spectacular dance displays, the best in South West crafts and the tastiest local food and drink.
You can immerse yourself in the entire week – try pitching up close to the action at the official festival campsite – or dip in and out of town for specific concerts, workshops and dances, or simply soak up the party atmosphere over a pint or two overlooking the sea on the Esplanade.
Super Early Bird ticket deals – on sale from December 9 for a limited time – are an excellent way to harness the best value tickets available, whether you want to secure concert seats for the whole week or a couple of specific headline shows, try a single workshop or block book every one.
Check out the website for more ticket details and a full breakdown of all the fun being planned: http://sidmouthfolkfestival.co.uk
CORNWALL FOLK FESTIVAL 28th - 31st August 2020
Dougie Maclean, O’Hooley & Tidow, Merry Hell, Gatehouse, Granny’s Attic, Winter Wilson, Blacksmith, Mike Silver and Joe Partidge, Geoff Lakeman and Rob Murch, Steve Dan Mills, Mic McCreadie’s Handpicked, Coastal Belles, and more to be announced
Main concerts in Wadebridge Town Hall, plus Betjeman Sessions over three nights.
Plenty more fine music and dance from across the South West on the FAR Stage. Live music and sessions in the streets, cafes and pubs in the town centre.
Early bird tickets https://cornwallfolkfestival.com/wp/event/full-festival-tickets