Broadcast Partner
If you enjoy folk music as a truly communal experience you may want to listen to or join in with some of the informal sessions that are taking place all over the site from Northumbrian small pipes, English folk music and song, to Irish traditional music.
The Irish Sessions
There will be at least two Irish sessions on each day of the Folk Festival this year, put together by Debbie Patterson Jones and Louise Lemon, they will be located in the Irish Bar, and the late-night slots will take place in the Sessions Cafe. There will also be a session on the Coldham's Common site on Friday. The instruments include melodeon, accordion, fiddle, flute, uilleann pipes, banjo and bodhran. This is a good opportunity for Festival-goers to hear lively and compelling traditional Irish music.
The English Sessions
The English Sessions bring grass roots traditional English folk music and song sessions to the Festival. They are not intended to be stage performances, workshops or musically exclusive, but bring a flavour of the traditional folk club atmosphere to the cafes, bars and gathering areas around the Festival. There will be a mixture of singers and musicians to entertain with traditional songs that you can easily sing along with, and if you are a musician with some English tunes yourself please bring your instruments with you and join in with us.
After Hours Session
We are pleased to be relaunching the late night session, now called After Hours Session, midnight 'til late at The Den.
The Den is our youth/emerging artists stage and we all know that sometimes you want to be able to let your hair down without the olds cramping your style. This is your space to take over. Part improv, part session, part cabaret, part folk club. Just turn up. Join in. Or chill out. Whatever you want. If you play, sing, dance, read poetry, or even juggle wombats - just speak to Thom. We've had beginners sing in public for the first time, and we have mainstage acts dropping in. Whoever you are, we guarantee you won't find a more welcoming audience!
The Lemon Sisters, on uilleann pipes, button accordion & fiddle, are hosting this year's late night festival sessions in the Sessions tent. They will be joined by an ensemble of incredible musicians, guaranteed to keep you dancing 'til the early hours.
Debbie Patterson Jones; Stephen Prosol ; Paul Daley; Hugh Magee; Ian Francis; George Weyman; Paul McMahon; Stephen Greenwood; Ethna Prosol; and Eileen Wilson
Collectively playing traditional Irish sessions. Instruments include flutes, whistles, melodeons, fiddles, bodhrans, bones + vocals
