Best festival for sessions/singarounds?

Subject: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 21 Mar 25 - 11:56 AM

I'm sure this must have been discussed at length many times, but I was wondering what you all think are the best UK folk festivals for sessions and singarounds?

I'm interested in which ones have the maximum opportunity to just go from session to session? or from singaround to singaround? I'm not fussed about the concerts or even workshops really...

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 21 Mar 25 - 05:58 PM

In case you need a prompt this page seems to have the most comprehensive listing of UK folk festivals I've seen.
https://ukfolkfestivals.co.uk/viewall.php

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: Raggytash
Date: 21 Mar 25 - 07:30 PM

I'm going back 45 years ago when I was taken down to Bracknell Folk Festival by a newly acquired friend.

He said the BEST singing session ever was held in the Cellar bar.

I went in not quite knowing what to expect.

He was absolutely correct, the session was simply stunning, no instruments , just awesome singing. At one point there must have 5 or 6 different harmonies being sung.

If I close my eyes I can still hear it now all these years later.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: Acorn4
Date: 22 Mar 25 - 05:36 AM

Moira Furnace Folk Festival has a good programme of singarounds both onsite and at two local pubs The Railway Inn and The Rawdon Arms:Moira Furnace Folk Festival
You don't need a festival ticket for the fringe events

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,Tom Patterson
Date: 22 Mar 25 - 06:16 AM

I agree about the Moira Festival. Matt's question is a good one as in my experience there are not too many festivals where there are plenty of opportunities for singarounds. Quite a few don't seem to have any at all.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: John MacKenzie
Date: 22 Mar 25 - 04:40 PM

The two I know are Whitby, and Sidmouth.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 22 Mar 25 - 05:18 PM

Glynne Davies set up a Facebook page
UK Folk Festival Fringe
for this sort of info.
Sadly it hasn't been used as much as it could be but might give some leads.

www.facebook.com/groups/756895488369039/

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 23 Mar 25 - 01:19 AM

Chippenham has always been good for sessions. In recent years both tune and song sessions have been organised in the beer tent in addition to those in various pubs.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: The Sandman
Date: 23 Mar 25 - 02:46 AM

The Festival i organise is good for singarounds and also sessions in Ireland , june 13 15 www.fastnetmaritime.com

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,Completely Scuppered
Date: 23 Mar 25 - 06:42 AM

We host a weekly shanty session at the Jenny Lind in Hastings, East Sussex, every Thursday from 20.30. We’ve been doing this for over ten years. Guest singers are always welcome.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: Aethelric
Date: 25 Mar 25 - 06:05 AM

The Moffat Rammy is only sessions and singarounds, and its's free.

You'll find details here:- The Moffat Rammy

It's a facebook page with details on if you scroll down a bit.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,Tom Patterson
Date: 25 Mar 25 - 07:23 AM

The Morpeth Gathering (25th-27th April) has singarounds on Friday night and Saturday lunchtime which is better than many festivals seem to have.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,matt milton
Date: 26 Mar 25 - 06:58 PM

Thanks for the suggestions!

I've thought about going to the Morpeth Gathering in previous years, because I play a lot of Northumbrian tunes (on fiddle). Might make it up there.

Sheffield Sessions weekend would be ideal - a whole weekend of nothing but sessions and singarounds - but that's on Easter weekend itself and I can't just desert my family then. Unfortunately.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,Tom Patterson
Date: 26 Mar 25 - 07:11 PM

Twice as many tune sessions as singarounds at the Morpeth Gathering so it should be good for you, Matt!

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,Guest Tim
Date: 27 Mar 25 - 01:26 AM

Broadstairs is pretty good, rarely gets a mention

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,Gazza2
Date: 27 Mar 25 - 05:47 AM

West Somerset has a lot of singarounds!

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,Howard Jones
Date: 27 Mar 25 - 06:38 AM

The Sheffield Sessions festival at Easter is another all-sessions event.

Out of the formal festivals I find Sidmouth is best. Over time the different session pubs have specialised in different forms of music, so you know exactly where to go to play English music, or Irish music, or chorus song.

On the other hand I've never had much success finding suitable sessions at Whitby, where although there are established session venues the type of music being played seems to depend on whoever got their first, and I have spent a lot of time wandering round town, often without success.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 04 Jun 25 - 07:14 PM

UK Folk Festivals has a listing page filtering only festivals which have mentioned that there are free events. A lot of those are singarounds.

www.ukfolkfestivals.co.uk/free-folk-festivals.php

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 05 Jun 25 - 04:41 AM

Upton upon Severn (early May Bank Hol) seemed to have at least three pubs with almost constant singing & instrumental sessions going on, plus the rugby club.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,PMB
Date: 05 Jun 25 - 06:18 PM

I've been going to a folk festival for twelve years or more; it's gone through various phases with regard to sessions. When I first was there, there were sessions (sometimes several) in all the pubs, and informal ones where people had big tents. Seven pub sessions (as well as folk club stuff in pub rooms),plus the irregular stuff.

That's varied over the years, but inexorably downwards. The big pub changed hands; they wanted more room for selling and less for culture. The other pub changed hands ; restaurant, no room for hippies. The third pub had a quiz night.

The organisers responded; a tent in the big pub's garden. Unfortunately they made it an "event", with leaders. "Leaders" sometimes have an agenda; these did. The big pub tolerated an Irish session, perhaps because they couldn't stop them, but all the other sessions: Welsh, singaround, all that stuff, disappeared.

A crowd of mates of mine did mixed sessions in the third pub. Other people did stuff elsewhere I'm sure, but tell me about it.

As the years went on; the pub tent became an extension of the pub, with barbecue; the third pub kept going but more food and less room for music; the tent sessions dwindled as we all got older and no one else seemed to be doing them.

Sic transit gloria mundi (and all the other days of the week).

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST,Tom Patterson
Date: 06 Jun 25 - 09:03 AM

Freddy is right about Upton. I was there on the Saturday and it was very helpful that the organisers had listed the sessions and singarounds. I stayed in the same singaround all day. Hilary Ward and Clive Brooks shared the MC role and it was a proper singaround, one song per person, which is in my opinion how these events should be. Too often, I feel, guest artists are parachuted in to singarounds.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: Mo the caller
Date: 12 Jun 25 - 04:54 PM

The 'organised' sessions at Whitby are good. If you know what the leaders specialise in, you know who is likely to turn up (though never exclusively one style) Different leaders have their own way of running things - round the room / jump in (but leaders starting off) / or ask for suggestions. Free except for the collecting tin.

Subject: RE: Best festival for sessions/singarounds?
From: GUEST
Date: 13 Jun 25 - 12:12 PM

The annual Isle of Arran Folk Festival (usually around the beginning of June) is worth checking out. Shows on Saturday & Sunday night + afternoon & evening singarounds, open to all.

(The 2025 festival was last weekend).