25th Tenterden Folk Festival Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th October 2017

TENTERDEN 25TH FOLK FESTIVAL  

Tenterden Folk Festival takes place over four days with folk song, music, dance, crafts and traditions.

Tenterden, situated in the ancient Weald of Kent, about 12 miles west of Ashford, is an ideal setting for this friendly, family folk festival.  It features one of the widest High Streets in the country lined with historic and listed buildings, numerous friendly pubs, cafes and restaurants and green verges.  

Events:Events at the festival include an English Barn Dance, concerts, sing-a-rounds, music sessions, folk clubs, special shows, a craft fair and street stalls, music stalls, free music and dance stages on the Recreation Ground, Morris dancers, dance displays, procession, showcases, meet the guest spots, workshops, dancers and musicians on the  Kent and East Sussex Railway, events for children and much more besides.

 

Venues and public houses:Festival venues include The Evans Bar and Moulton Hall upstairs in the Tenterden Club, St Mildred’s Parish Church, St Mildred’s Church Hall, The Town Hall, The Saddlery, The Recreation Ground and the High Street,  There are also events in The Woolpack, The White Lion, The Vine, The William Caxton and The Indulgence Cake and Coffee House.

Welcome barn dance:The English barn dance is a regular feature of the festival and is always very popular.  As well as the barn dance there is often a chance to try other forms of traditional folk dancing over the long weekend.    Concerts:The main concerts on Saturday and Sunday are held in the Tenterden Club with smaller acoustic concerts, including concerts on Friday, being held in the Saddlery at The White Lion.  There is a special fundraising concert on Thursday in the Town Hall.  Crafts fair, music stalls, other stalls and also street stalls:The free craft fair and other stalls will be in a large marquee on The Recreation Ground, just off the High Street.  The marquee will act as the venue for the popular free music and dance stages.  There will also be even more street stalls in the High Street.

 

Sing-a-rounds and music sessions:

One of the highlights of Tenterden Folk Festival for many of the participants are the numerous friendly and informal sing-a-rounds and music sessions.  With a choice of four town centre pubs there is sure to be a session that suits your taste going on in at least one of these venues. 

Workshops and meet the guest sessions:

 is a charity formed to preserve and advance public education and appreciation of folk music, song, dance, crafts and traditions as part of the living heritage.  Therefore we offer you a chance to “Meet” some of the guests in informal sessions.  We also offer workshops where you can hear about folk related topics or traditions or improve your own skills. Dance displays:Tenterden is “the Jewel of the Weald” and over the Festival weekend it has even more colour and sparkle than usual as hundreds of Morris men and women and other folk dancers take to the streets of the town centre.  The majority of teams are Morris dance sides of varying styles, from the Cotswold tradition and Black-faced Border style, to clog to garland dancers.  The teams you will see will be both men’s, women’s and mixed sides and come from all over England.  It’s not just Morris you will see as Tenterden is regularly host to teams performing traditional dances from Scotland, Ireland, England, Slovakia and the Appalachian Mountains of North America.  There is also Saturday’s popular procession along the High Street.  

http://www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk/