When the Oxford Folk Festival was cancelled in 2011, the local community - determined not to sit at home on a sunny weekend in April - pulled together to create a 'Folk Weekend' in its place. There were street displays of Morris dancing, concerts and performances, a host of free song and music events, and a huge ceilidh. A fabulous time was had by all!

Building on this success, Folk Weekend will be returning on 20th-22nd April 2012. The festival will be based at the newly refurbished Old Fire Station, with additional events in other venues throughout the city centre. Tickets cost £46 for a weekend season (£40 concessions, £30 youth). Day seasons and individual event tickets are also available – see website for full details.

There will be plenty of activities for all – including a family ceilidh on Saturday lunchtime, a concert on Saturday evening, and Morris Dancing and a Craft Fair at Oxford Castle all weekend. There will be free performances, workshops and informal music sessions, and you can even learn how to dance a schottische at the Euro-dance on Sunday afternoon!

One of the most exciting things about Folk Weekend 2012 is the way in which the local community have pulled together to contribute to the event; Oxford Historical Dance Society are organizing an evening dance, The Ashmolean Museum are hosting free performances on the Saturday and Sunday, Oxfolk and the Folk Camps Society have sponsored events, hundreds of school children will be performing in the Wesley Memorial church, Oxford Fiddle group are playing a concert, and Oxford Folk Club and Foolish Folk are running fringe events on the Friday night.

Performing during the weekend we have the cream of the local folk music scene, including artists such as Ian Giles, Telling the Bees, shanty crew Short Drag Roger, Emily Spiers and the Tunesmiths, a capella trio 'The Skeptics', Steph West and Giles Lewin, Jamie Huddlestone (with his ceilidh band Triptych, and also in a rare solo set), and Oxford's glam-folk legend James Bell.

As if that wasn't enough, Folk Weekend is proud to host some of the top artists from the national folk scene. Folk rebels Mawkin visit mid-way through their album launch tour; the sublime Crucible Trio have joined us from Sheffield to headline the Saturday night concert, and Oxfordshire-based Boldwood are playing a home gig for Folk Weekend.

Visit www.folkweekendoxford.co.uk for full details and ticket info. Follow us on Twitter (@FolkWeekend) or Like us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/FolkWeekendOxford).


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For more information:

Cat Kelly – Festival Director
cat@catkelly.co.uk
www.folkweekendoxford.co.uk
@FolkWeekend
www.facebook.com/folkweekendoxford