Todmorden Folk Festival Programme 2024

Contents

How to get your tickets

Entrance to some concerts and events require tickets. You can buy individual tickets per event, day tickets or full weekend tickets. Day tickets and full weekend tickets represent a huge saving if you’re planning to attend more than one event over the weekend. There is also a family ticket for 4 people including at least one adult and one child.

Family Full Weekend ticket: Full Weekend ticket:

Saturday Day ticket:

All tickets can be bought through our website. You can also pick them up at the box office on Friday night at Todmorden Community College from 5pm or Saturday from 10am - 5pm at the Central Methodist Church. You can also buy tickets in advance from the Todmorden Tourist Information Centre or from Physio & Therapies on Halifax Road (cash only).

£145

£49 adult / £30 under 16s

£29 adult / £20 under 16s

Photo © Alica Phillips Photography

Welcome to TODMORDEN FOLK FESTIVAL 2024

We are so pleased to be back for our 8th festival and what a great feeling it is. Venues and streets across our vibrant little town will be buzzing once again. We’ve always recognised that folk is a broad term which encompasses many musical forms and this year we are proud to bring another eclectic and exciting mix of music to the festival.

To kick the weekend off with a bang, ceilidh band Monkey Box will raise the roof of Todmorden College to get you dancing a jig or two. Or if you’d prefer, over at St Mary’s Church we’ll be treated to an incredible opening concert featuring Leeds trio, Kinaara, performing a mixture of Punjabi folk, original compositions, English and Celtic epics and

Indian classical folk rock. All this followed by Dan Walsh, one of the UK’s leading lights in melodic clawhammer banjo.

Saturday is packed with musical delights, workshops and children’s activities. Our afternoon concert at the Central Methodist Church features a varied lineup including contemporary folk duo Gilmore and Roberts, and ‘Gypsy Jazz’ folk band and local legends, The Hot Club of Halifax. Then, our evening concert at the atmospheric Unitarian Church is headlined by the beautiful vocal harmonies and multi-instrumentalist talents of Lady Maisery. They will be followed by the raucous, footstomping sounds of Bonfire Radicals to bring our Saturday night to an unforgettable close.

Then once you’ve polished off your Sunday brunch in one of our towns fantastic eateries, get along to our canal-side open-air stage in Oxford Street car park where you’ll find a varied lineup of singer-songwriters, carnival bands, Morris dancing and fantastic food and drink stalls. Or pop to St Mary’s Church from 3.30pm where we have festival favourites the She Shanties, and one of the most exciting acts on the alt-folk scene, Jacob and Drinkwater, performing.

As you weave from venue to venue over the weekend, watch out for the fantastic array of dance teams that will be performing around the town and don’t forget to explore the craft fair at the Central Methodist Church along with our fabulous Festival Café. We also have an eclectic mix of workshops to entice you, including Morris dancing, and a concert and sing-along exploring the songs of Cyril Tawney on Saturday; as well as guitar workshops led by Kevin Rivett of Pennine Guitars on Sunday. For any little ones that might need entertaining there will be a mixture of children’s activities around Pollination Street during the day on Saturday, whilst Hebden Bridge Les Panards Dansants will be playing traditional French and

Breton music on Pollination Street during the afternoon on Sunday.

This festival really couldn’t happen without the backing of local businesses supporting us through advertising, sponsorship and other contributions and we would like to thank everyone who lives and works in Todmorden for their enthusiastic support.

We understand acutely how much people are struggling currently with the day-to-day cost of living so we thank you sincerely for supporting our festival and ensuring we keep live music and dance alive through some tough times. We appreciate how lucky we are to be able to put on our festival and we wish to thank Todmorden Town Council and CultureDale for their support. You will see our volunteers around the town this weekend carrying donation buckets. If possible, please drop in a coin or two, as every single pound helps ensure the festival can return in 2025.

Whether you live locally or are visiting our wonderful town especially for the festival, we hope you enjoy the weekend and thanks for your support as always.

Photos © Alica Phillips Photography

Todmorden Folk Festival

Our Venues

Food and Bars at the concerts

We love working closely with our local breweries such as Little Valley and Eagles Crag, so you will find their beers on draught in most of the venues over the weekend as well as a selection of wines, ciders and soft drinks. We use real glass, rather than plastic, wherever possible in our venues and we recycle all bottles.

We also cater at both main venues on Friday night, Saturday afternoon at Central Methodist Church and Saturday evening at the Unitarian church. We source our food as locally as possible, supporting Todmorden businesses. We cater for all dietary needs including gluten free and vegan and if you can’t see something on the menu that suits, we are good at being creative … just ask!

Access

We aspire to be as accessible as possible. There is information on our website about access for all venues alongside other helpful information about getting to and around Todmorden. If you need any further information (large font text etc), please email todmordenfolkfestival@gmail.com or message us via our Facebook or Instagram pages.

Craft Fair and Festival Café

Our hub on Saturday is Central Methodist Church on Bramsche Square. This will house the ticket office from 10am until 5pm alongside concerts, the craft fair and a café. This is the perfect place to arrange to meet friends and entry to everything apart from the afternoon concert is FREE. The craft fair is a showcase for many talented local craft businesses and is the perfect place to browse and pick up presents or even treat yourself!

In between all this activity you can relax with a cuppa and a cake in our Festival café or buy a brew to take outside with you to watch the dancers. Each year our volunteer kitchen crew cater for your every culinary need and hot festival specials will be available as well as our regular soups, ploughmans’ platters featuring local Pextenement cheeses, festival wraps, pies and other delights, not to mention the mountain of cake!

Photo © Lynne Midwinter

ARTISTS

Lady Maisery

The combined vocal and multiinstrumental talents of Rowan Rheingans, Hazel Askew and Hannah James make up the uniquely captivating band Lady Maisery who have for well over a decade enraptured audiences throughout the UK and Europe. Individually three multi award-winning artists, Lady Maisery form a unified voice, carrying stories of sisterhood, human struggle, the joy of living and the vitality of song with the “freshest possible take on traditional music” (Folk Radio UK). Their fifth studio album Tender was released at the end of 2022 to farreaching acclaim. An arresting record exploring the power in vulnerability, the tenderness of collective wounds and the strength in kindness, it was hailed “a beguiling blend of ancient and modern” (The Times) and “both nurturing and raw, a sensitive response to the times we are living in” (Daily Info).

Dan Walsh

BBC Folk Awards Best Musician nominee Dan Walsh combines ‘virtuoso playing and winning songwriting’ (MORNING STAR), and Dan is one of the UK’s leading lights in melodic clawhammer banjo. Describing what Dan does is no easy task but at the heart of it is British, Irish and American folk music delivered with a healthy dose of funky grooves – all performed with his unique and dazzling take on clawhammer style banjo helping to challenge all preconceptions about the instrument. Add to all that poignant songs, astonishing musical departures and lively humour and the result is a truly memorable live show which has wowed audiences across the world from intimate seated rooms to huge dancing crowds in festival fields.

ARTISTS

Bonfire Radicals

The electrifying sound of Bonfire Radicals is intensely creative and irresistibly fun. Their “dynamic and high octane” (Fatea Magazine) live set captures the adventurous breadth of their musical imaginations which emerge from a melting pot of original and traditional tunes from the British Isles to the Balkans.

The band features a frontline of recorders, fiddle, clarinet, and vocals set alongside a punchy rhythm section of electric guitar, bass, and drums. French melodies decorate African grooves, delicate English folk song is underscored by Heavy Metal, Klezmer moves through moments of Art Rock, Brazilian drumming accompanies snapping Scottish Strathspeys…

Bonfire Radicals have been delighting audiences across the UK with their vibrant approach to traditional and contemporary folk music, and they are quickly making a name for themselves as “an outfit who specialises in creating a raucous and danceable feast” (At the Barrier).

“A serious powerhouse of a performance ... footstomping and adrenalinpowered and came on like folk music played by ravers.”

Jacob & Drinkwater

UK alt-folk duo Jacob & Drinkwater have been called “stand out new folk” by BBC6 Music and “inventive and thrilling” by R2 Magazine. Jacob’s sweeping vocals never fail to captivate, delivering many a spine-tingling moment; the fluidity and precision of his finger-picking underpinned by Drinkwater’s nimbly rhythmic double bass; at times sweetly soaring, haunting, percussive and driving, the layers of depth a perfect counterfoil. Featured numerous times on BBC Radio 2, BBC6 Music and lauded by their musical peers as one of the most accomplished acts touring the circuit today.

ARTISTS

The Hot Club of Halifax

The Hot Club of Halifax are a fresh and exciting collective of seasoned Jazz musicians offering dynamic and charismatic renditions of songs and tunes from the Django ‘Gypsy Jazz’ repertoire. They provide a substantial helping of deep and danceable swing interlaced with thoughtful arrangements of Jazz and Latin infused standards, mesmerising Gypsy waltzes and folk music from other parts of the world.

Kinaara

A balance of haunting vocals from Satnam Galsian, Johnny Hogg’s Starfire guitar and Simon Henry’s delicate drumming, Kinaara take you on an electric journey through interwoven strands of Punjabi folk, original compositions, English and Celtic epics and Indian classical folk rock. Brought together in 2018 by singer Satnam Galsian, the Leeds trio have released two well received EP’s Across The River (2021) and Colours In Black (2022). Their first album will be arriving in Spring 2024.

She Shanties

She Shanties is a captivating folk harmony group renowned for their enchanting performances that transport audiences to the maritime past. Hailing from across the north of England, this talented ensemble weaves together hauntingly beautiful shanties and folk melodies, celebrating the age-old tales of sailors, fishermen and adventurers.

Cacophony Arkestra

Formed in 2014 from a group of talented musicians and carnival artists, they perform a high energy mix of Soca & Calypso tunes blended with other musical styles - Ska, Jazz & Afro-beat. The band plays carnivals, processions, clubs and anything in between either on a truck, on foot or on stage. This year sees them return to perform procession style at our Outdoor Stage.

Chords and Fiddles

2024 Youth Award winners, ‘Chords and Fiddles’ return to Todmorden Folk Festival, having gone on to perform at Cambridge Folk Festival since their appearance at last year’s festival. The young folk duo, composed of Erin and Ben, perform folk music from a variety of traditions from Ireland, Scotland and Lancashire and play fusions of pop and rock tunes in a folk style. They especially enjoy upbeat tunes you can dance to and have started to write their own arrangements.

Clem

Clem was joint winner of our 2024 Youth Awards. Clem is a talented guitarist and song-writer, and will be performing some of her own compositions and songs.

ARTISTS

Cobalt Tales

Pat and Nuala bring a range of songs and stories to the stage in their own style with hints of Janis to Jagger via the Indigo Girls. Popular regulars at Tod Folk Fest through the years, they return with their powerful vocals complimented with engaging harmonies, acoustic and bass guitars, whistles, clarinet and harmonica. Cobalt Tales deliver music from the heart that stirs the soul.

George Daniels

George is another of our Youth Award finalists and has been playing the guitar since the age of 8. He has played with Jiggerie Folkerie and The Uncle Bucket Club as part of an ensemble. Now, performing as a soloist George focuses on traditional American tunes, Bluegrass and Country.

Ferney Lee Primary School Choir

A choir of talented pupils from Ferneylee and some other primary schools in Todmorden will be singing a handful of ditties from their repertoire which they have been rehearsing with school music co-ordinator Anna Dumville.

Gilmore and Roberts

Contemporary acoustic roots duo Gilmore & Roberts combine award-winning songwriting with astounding musicianship and their trademark harmonies to create a lasting connection with their audience.

Nominated three times at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Katriona Gilmore (fiddle, mandolin) and Jamie Roberts (guitar) have brought together some of their most emotionally charged material yet in a new album, Documenting Snapshots.

Drawing inspiration from fascinating stories, both personal and historical, Gilmore & Roberts present their songs through an ever-changing kaleidoscope of genres from rock to Americana, through a powerful wall of sound down to the most intimate pin-drop moments. With a show full of songs ‘capable of making you dance, cry and think’ (Folk Radio UK) delivered with their ‘relaxed, banter-laden stage presence’ (Spiral Earth), a performance by Gilmore & Roberts will stay with you long after the final note fades.

Richard Grainger

A prolific and diverse artist, Richard is a singer, songwriter and musician who has been

performing on the British Folk Scene since the 1980s. From his early days, Richard was regularly heard in the folk clubs of North East England, forming a duo with Charles O’Connor, and in 1981 joined the popular ‘Teesside Fettlers’. Richard’s songs achieved wider recognition in the process and before long he was touring throughout the UK, becoming a frequent guest ‘live’ and on record, on BBC’s Radio 2 Folk Show.

Jiggerie Folkerie

Finalists in our Youth Award competition, Jiggerie Folkerie are Calderdale’s own youth folk group, playing traditional and modern folk tunes from the British Isles and all over Europe. This talented group of young musicians love playing together and have been wowing audiences at a variety of local events. They combine instrumental talent with the energy and enthusiasm of youth - you’ll be sure to leave with a smile on your face!

Rebecca Little

Rebecca is a talented singer songwriter who was one of our finalists at our Youth Awards in 2023. She has an ear for a fabulous melody and a lovely turn of phrase in her lyrics that belies her age. Having just turned 18, she already has a collection of

ARTISTS

memorable self penned songs and a voice that anyone would be proud of. She is studying Music at Greenhead College.

Brought up on a wide range of music from 70’s bands such a Fleetwood Mac, through to Belle & Sabastian and Laura Marling, her music is founded on classic acoustic guitarbased songs full of melodies and harmonies that will live with you after your first listen.

Monkey Box

Monkey Box are an energetic ceilidh trio from Manchester. Composed of Tom Kitching (Pilgrims’ Way, Albireo, Gavin Davenport), Edwin Beasant (Pilgrims’ Way, Jabadaw, Ironmasters) and Pete Crowther (Melandra, Albireo), Monkey Box creates a sound larger than it has any right to do. Chunky English rhythms underpin great dance tunes for a feel-good ceilidh experience. Caller - Lisa Heywood.

The Muthers

Folk covers and so much more! The Muthers, a band of wonderful Todmordian women, bring an array of instruments and vocal harmonies.

Outside the Box

“Scottish infused folk, alt.country, bluegrass and shenanigans. Foot tapping

tunes, songs and Harmonies.” Outside the Box are a Calderdale based trio featuring Mark Paramor on guitar, Justin Graham on accordion and Daz Jones on bass. Coming from a background of ceilidh, strict time Scottish Competition, New Orleans Second Line Jazz, Folk and Punk bands they put their own feel to songs and tunes old and new. Add beautiful and full throated three part harmonies, Outside the Box bring foot tapping energy, glorious tunes and sing-along choruses.

Phoebe Rees

Phoebe Rees is a musician and songwriter from Oswestry. Influenced by a diverse range of musical genres and cultures, she predominantly combines elements of Celtic, English and American Folk traditions into her music making. Drawing on inspiration from her early years in the Scottish Highlands, experiences as a classical viola player studying in Edinburgh and London, and subsequent travels throughout the rest of the British Isles, Europe, South America and India; she performs her own compositions along with interpretations of material by other artists close to her heart. Phoebe sings and accompanies herself mostly on the fiddle, viola and guitar.

DANCE TEAMS

Blackstone Edge

Blackstone Edge are a female / non-binary Rapper Sword dancing team formed in 2019. They emerged from a bog on the grimy moors above Littleborough and are mostly made of millstone grit and corduroy. Fuelled by fried chicken and dirty beer, they bring the party wherever they go.

Black Gate Morris

Black Gate Morris is a mixed Cotswold Morris side based in Newcastle Upon Tyne. Launched in 2018.

Fiddle ‘n’ Feet

‘Fiddle ‘n’ Feet Appalachian dance team was formed approximately 20 years ago. We are based in Shipley West Yorkshire. Our style of dancing originates from the American Appalachian Mountains. We use tap shoes and dance on boards. We are accompanied by our Musicians who play old time and bluegrass tunes.

Flag and Bone Gang

Harrogate-based team who dance in their own style with a unique kit. The band is made up of melodeons, concertina, bass curtal, recorder and percussion.

Hadrian Clog

Based along the Tyne Valley, in Northumberland, Hadrian Clog perform traditional clog and hard shoe dances from the North East of England and beyond, taking traditional steps, giving them a ‘Hadrian’ twist, and pairing them with their favourite folk tunes.

Formed in 2012, Hadrian Clog are a family-friendly team and are passionate about keeping clog dancing traditions alive, with members ranging in age from six to over sixty. They perform a wide variety of dances, mainly from the North of England, but also from as far afield as Ottowa and Cape Breton in Canada, as

well as Scotland and Ireland. The team also enjoy creating and choreographing their own unique dances, as well as teaching at workshops and festivals.

Hebden Bridge Hill Millies

Hebden Bridge Hill Millies are a Women’s Cotswold Morris Dancing side based in Hebden Bridge, West Yorkshire. We have been going for over 16 years, starting off as a bet with the then landlord of the Fox and Goose pub in Hebden Bridge. We dance with hankies, sticks, dusters, and on occasion a mop or two! We are accompanied by a talented group of fiddle players.

Hebden Bridge Hill Millies

DANCE TEAMS

Hebden Bridge Panards

Hebden Bridge Panards are musicians and dancers. They play beautiful French and European tunes for dancing and listening. The dances are very easy to learn. Come and join them on Pollination green on Sunday afternoon for an end of festival chill out!

The Lancashire Wallopers

The team was originally formed in 1981 by students of the legendary clog dancer and music hall entertainer Sam Sherry. The purpose of their formation was a one-off performance at the National Gathering at Cecil Sharp House of the bargees social dance taught to them by Bill Gibbons. Their outfits

are inspired by the clothing traditionally worn by canal bargees and the group includes a dancing boat horse.

Wallop is a retired barge horse that makes occasional appearances with the team. He has a reputation for being a bit of a show-off but who can blame him? Wallop won the prestigious Sidmouth Horse Trials in 2016 and has an impressive 6 Lancashire and Cheshire Clog Championship titles!

The Wallopers’ present repertoire includes routines based on most of the steps that Sam Sherry taught, steps danced by other celebrated clog dancers and dance routines in the style of the music hall as performed by The Five Sherry Brothers. The skilled dancing and unique music hall routines are taken

to another level through the creative skills of the team’s two accomplished musicians.

Sam had interests in both the traditional styles of clog dancing and the music hall styles which are assumed to have developed, at least in part, from the former. The Wallopers continue that combination of interests and this is reflected in their diverse repertoire.

Mind the Step

Mind The Step was formed in 1990 by a group of dancers wanting to “do something different “and they have been choreographing and performing their own style of lively Appalachian dancing ever since!

Appalachian dancing originates from English, Irish and Scottish clogging and stepping styles as danced by the immigrants who settled in the Appalachian Mountains in North America. The dance evolved in remote mountain communities incorporating steps from the dance style of native Indians and former slaves.

The team has evolved over the years to incorporate clog stepping into the repertoire to reflect their roots and add variety to their performance.

The Lancashire Wallopers

DANCE TEAMS

Oakendale

Littleborough based Folk Arts organisation Oakenhoof combine with Rossendale Clog Heritage to bring you Oakendale!

Ryburn Longsword

The Ryburn Longsword dancers are based in Ripponden, near Halifax, and have specialised in traditional Yorkshire Longsword dance since 1994. Longsword is a Yorkshire-based form of traditional dance performed in a circle, making a sequence of movements in which they go over or under the swords, usually ending with the display of a sword ‘lock’.

Sowerby Bridge Morris

A mixed dance team performing in the North-West Morris tradition. They are based in the West Yorkshire mill town of Sowerby Bridge in the heart of the South Pennines.

The team was originally formed as an all-male side in 1979 following the success of the Sowerby Bridge Rushbearing Festival. In 2011, the team was revived as a mixed side with a view to performing at that year’s Rushbearing. The team perform all four of their original dances from the

early 1980s, as well as two traditional dances from the now sadly defunct Colne Royal Morris Men.  They have also developed two original dances, the Jubilee Diamond and the Rushcart 8Dance

Strictly Clog

Strictly Clog were formed in 2010 by well established clog dance friends who wanted to take clog dancing back to basics with minimum choreography and more emphasis on the partnership with the music.

Thieving Magpie

“A vision of terpsichorean delight” is a term nobody has uttered having seen us dancing. Be that as it may, we do give it some welly. Thieving Magpie is a mixed Border side based in Marsden in the West Riding of Yorkshire. Our motto is “Leave nowt but blood, wood and feathers”. The Shorter Oxford Dictionary

definition of “mixed” is “of a company of persons: not select, containing persons of doubtful character or status.” A bit harsh, we thought.

Wakefield Morris

The team has been dancing for 42 years since 1980 and has performed at many folk festivals throughout England, gaining a reputation for a fast and lively dance style. Wakefield Morris performs a style of dancing known as “North-West” Morris that originated in Lancashire in the late 19th century where teams were formed to take a central role in the annual village carnival processions. Some of the dances that Wakefield Morris perform were traditionally used in such processions in the early 20th century, but over time the team has also written dances of its own. The team colours of blue and gold are taken from the crest of Wakefield City.

Thieving Magpie

FRIDAY 3RD

TIMETABLE OF EVENTS

SATURDAY 4TH

We’re open the last weekend of every month with talented guest artists. Join us for some of our delicious craft ales!

eaglescragbrewery.co.uk/events

SUNDAY 5TH

FAMILY FUN

Join the team on Saturday at Pollination Street for making, building, dancing and playing in our family marquee, supported by Todmorden Town Council and Culturedale.

We have a treasure trove of activities planned including:

Wind chime making

Guinean Folk Drumming Workshop

Maypole Dancing

Music workshop with Jiggerie Folkerie

Craft activities and Play

Face Painting

All of our events are family friendly and welcoming to audiences of all ages.

Watch out for Plucky: a very big, very friendly and possibly over curious chicken. Accompanied by her hen-pecked sidekick, Plucky guarantees to bring fun, farmyard frolics, music and song to everyone throughout the day!

Hands on Skin

Traditional Guinean Drumming Workshop

Saturday 11:00 - 1:00

Moussa and Chris Sylla, will provide you with an opportunity to have a go at West African djembe drumming. Moussa is from Guinea and we will be learning a little bit about this most amazing instrument and playing some simple and fun traditional rhythms. Anyone can have a go, it’s not necessary to have any musical experience or ability. We can explore all the different sounds the drum can make and create a BIG noise as well as having a great time with musical conversations. All you need is your hands. Wear ear defenders if you’re sensitive to noise. Caution - drumming can cause outbursts of happiness and excessive smiling!

Music Making with

Jiggerie Folkerie

Saturday 2:00 - 3:00

Come join the fun at our kids’ workshop. You’ll be able to take part in some lively folk tunes and have a go on some instruments with Jiggerie Folkerie youth folk group, or just come for a dance if you like! Open to ages 3 - 18.

Photo © Lynne Midwinter

FAMILY FUN

Bringing in the May

Maypole Workshops

Saturday 1:00 - 2:00

Come along and have a go, join Thieving Magpies to dance around the maypole, no experience necessary, just enthusiasm and a sense of fun! Children and their grown-ups welcome.

The Songs of Cyril Tawney Singalong

Saturday 11:30 - 12:30

A concert and sing-along featuring The Muthers, She Shanties, Kimbers Men and Roger Kennington.

Tawney joined the Royal Navy at 16 and became one of England’s most renowned folk songwriters, drawing from his sea-faring experiences. Grey Funnel Line, Sammy’s Bar, Chicken on a Raft and more. You’ll know many of his compositions and if you don’t, we’ll have words to help you join in. Start your Saturday right with this joyful celebration of great songs.

Cyril Tawney

Saturday Session

Led by Outside the Box

Saturday 3:00 - 6:00

Join festival favourites Outside the Box for a fabulous afternoon session where singers, players and listeners are all welcome! Based at Hare & Hounds, where we hold our monthly ‘Folkish’ sessions, it’s the perfect relaxed way to spend your afternoon with convivial company, great music, beer and good food! See you there!

WORKSHOPS and other events

Morris withDancing Black Gate Morris

Saturday 1:00 - 2:30

Ever fancied trying Morris dancing? Join the fabulous Black Gate Morris to learn Cotswold Morris dancing at the Masonic Hall. Anyone of any age can join in and no experience is necessary, just wear comfy clothes and shoes and bring a bottle of water! Come along and try out your dancing feet!

Bringing in May!

Maypole Workshop

Saturday 5:30- 6:30

Basque at the ready! Giving an age-old tradition of dancing round the Maypole a more contemporary quirky twist! In honour of the Burlesque festival which now shares our weekend. Come along in your best basque and have a go! No experience necessary just enthusiasm, a sense of humour and a touch of exhibitionism! All welcome.

Learn Guitar

with Kevin & Kat from Pennine Guitars

Sunday 10:00 - 12:00

Discover your hidden John Martyn or Joan Baez! Ever wished you could pick up the guitar and play but didn’t know where to start? Come join Kev and Kat from The Pennine Guitar Centre in the first steps of your musical journey.

Kev is a trained classical guitarist who has played professionally across many genres and has a wealth of experience teaching students of all abilities, assisted by Kat who specialises in beginners. These half hourly guitar workshops are in the beautiful space of Creative with Nature, located upstairs at The Willows Tea and Coffee House.

No experience or equipment necessary. Come along for a fun, relaxed introduction to playing guitar. Places are strictly limited to ensure you get the best from the session, so booking is essential. You can do this by visiting our website (todfolkfest.co.uk) and putting your name down. We suggest a £5 donation on the door too.

These workshops are very popular so don’t delay, book your spot today. Look forward to seeing you there!

Folk Eucharist

Sunday 11:00 - 12:00

St Marys Church are holding a folk themed Eucharist on Sunday at 11.00 and would like to welcome everyone to join them… some surprise musicians and dancers may also feature!

Black Gate Morris

Oxford Street Outdoor Stage

Sunday 12:00 - 5:30

Returning for the third year, our FREE outdoor stage presents a diverse range of world music, local performers and dance, bringing folk festival joy to the arty quarter of Todmorden on Sunday afternoon. Supported by local businesses in the area, this is a fabulous, friendly event with something for everyone! As well as great local performers there will be hot food from the Tibetan Kitchen, DIYA in Cornholme and The Kindness Cafe. Foras bar will also be providing a full bar. So whatever the weather, bring a camping chair (and possibly an umbrella) and join in with the merriment. Huge thanks to Stephenson’s Animal Feeds for the truck stage which makes this event possible.

FINALLY

Survivors Session

Sunday from 7:30

Come celebrate the end of the weekend with pints, songs, tunes and merriment at Eagles Crag Brewery.

Photos © Alica Phillips Photography

Photos © Craig Shaw Photography

“The

T-Shirts

This year we are delighted to offer you a festival T-shirt to remember the weekend!

Printed in Tod these T-shirts feature our logo on the front and are kindly sponsored by Little Valley Brewery who have been an intrinsic part of the festival for 8 years now!

£20

Our stewards will be identifiable in their royal blue T-shirts and you can buy a pale blue version for £20. These are available at the box office on Friday night and Saturday in the day and at the main venues Saturday evening and Sunday.

Todmorden Folk Festival

Todmorden Folk Festival Committee are:

Lynne Midwinter

Lois Darcy

Kara Filbey

Frank Burkitt

Sue Hall

Thanks…

Nikki Wright

Robert Wood

Angela Boycott-Garnett

Hannah Flint

Denny Stretton

…to all the volunteers who have given their time in organising and running this event. Special thanks to all the artists, dancers, stewards, Todmorden Town Council, Calderdale Council, CultureDale and to all our sponsors and advertisers and anyone else who has helped in any way!

Photo © Lynne Midwinter