St Albans Folk Festival 15 Jun 2022
St Albans Folk Festival
June 24th - 26th 2022
After two pandemic years when they were restricted largely to online events, the organisers of St Albans Folk Festival are looking forward to a return of live events in 2022. The festival will run from June 24-26 opening with a barn dance hosted by Friday Folk Dance Group on Friday June 24. The main events on Saturday will be on Saturday June 25 which will end with the Festival Concert at 7.30pm in St Saviour’s Church, Sandpit Lane.
During the day there will be a Day of Dance and live music showcases in St Albans City Centre and opportunities to join in informal music and singing sessions and a ukulele workshop. The festival ends on Sunday June 26 with an invitation to young people of all ages to join in an afternoon of fun with folk music and dance outside St Saviour’s Church or indoors if wet. The Festival Concert will feature singer and musician Miranda Sykes, a major name on the folk scene. Miranda has been ‘on the road’ as a singer, guitarist and bass player for 25 years since the age of seventeen.
Since 2004, she has been best known for her collaboration with Show of Hands but she has also toured with other bands, in duos and as a soloist. Support will come from St Albans-based New Roots finalist Alex Jenkins who plays and sings to the Welsh harp and Paul Fincken a singer Songwriter who won the most recent Watford Folk Club Song writing competition.
The day of dance will start outside the Alban Arena at 10.00am before the groups split up into groups of two or three to dance at the Clock Tower / Graphics Plus, Christopher Place, the White Hart Hotel, and outside the Abbey West Front beforereturn to the space outside the Alban Arena at 3.45pm. The dancing will be in a variety of styles. St Albans Morris and Phoenix Morris dance in the Cotswold tradition, while Wicket Brood Morris’ dances originate from Welsh border.
Pump House Morris, Chiltern Hundreds, Whitethorn Morris and New Moon do dances from the North West of England while Stevenage Sword does dances from North East England. There will also be dances from other countries from Irish dancers Rinceoiri le Cheile, and dancers from Galicia, a celtic part of Spain who are accompanied by bagpipes and tambourines.
The free showcase performances will take place in the White Lion, The Garibaldi, The White Hart Tap, the Mermaid and the Museum café. For events to join in, go to the Mermaid, the Robin Hood, and St Saviour’s Hall and Church.
Tickets for the concert, which starts at 7.30pm are available from www.ticketsource.co.uk/stalbansfolkmusic, by phone on 0333 666 3366 or on the door. To download a detailed and complete programme of the weekend’s events, go to www.stalbansfolkmusic.org.uk Apart from the Festival Concert and the evening with Friday Folk, most events will be free but collections will be taken. Festivalgoers are being warned to so make sure to have some cash with them.
Contact for further information Alison Macfarlane info@stalbansfolkmusic.org.uk
Further information www.stalbansfolkatthefestival.org.uk