Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??

Subject: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: GUEST,Hello -We are new to this group!
Date: 03 Jun 06 - 09:42 PM

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: GUEST
Date: 03 Jun 06 - 09:45 PM

WE are new to this group! Can anyone provide some details about the Whitby Folk Festival. Has anyone ever attended this? Are there many tradtional dance display groups performing? Workshops fo all sorts??

Is it running late to find housing? What is the festival like compared to the others in the UK. Any details would be very welcomed!
thanks!

Rose

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival lik
From: Joe Offer
Date: 03 Jun 06 - 11:54 PM

Well, it's the only UK folk festival I've attended, and I loved it. There are music venues all over town, and you stumble over Morris dancers wherever you go - don't know that I saw any other kinds of dancers. My favorite venue was a pub at Robin Hood's Bay, a bus ride south in a quaint little town.
Many Mudcatters camp or crowd into rented houses. Dick and Susan and I rented a house on the south side of town that was reasonably priced and very nice.
-Joe Offer in California-

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: GUEST,Bill the Collie
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 01:51 AM

Be prepared for rain - so that if the sun shines you will feel truly bless'd.
Robnoods Bay also a delight. They make you park at the top of their very steep hill and then take pictures of you struggling to walk back up the hill from the sea.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival lik
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 02:02 AM

One regret I have, is that I din't walk from Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay one day. I understand it's a beautiful trail - and that there's a lighthouse along the trail.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival lik
From: gnomad
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 03:03 AM

Whitby Folk Week, Website You may find this useful at some stage.

The festival is awash with Mudcatters every year, in fact some years a list is put up in one of the pubs, on which you can "sign in", but it isn't compulsory.

The dance side of folk is well represented; daily displays by several sides, of which a small number will also be running a week-long series of workshops. At the weekends the dance element generally expands with additional teams who come for just one or two days.

Workshops are a major morning feature of WFW, anything from Alexander Technique, via harmony singing, through dance and instumental to Tai Chi and tricks you can do with a bit of string.

How does it compare with others? Well in recent years I have not attended many others, but I would say that it is bigger than most, and that few others take over any town quite as completely.

Accommodation is likely to prove your main headache. Self-catering tends to get booked up for that week by people who agree "same time next year" when paying for this year [I have friends who have used the same flats for 20 years] but new places do come on stream so it is worth a try. B+Bs and small hotels are numerous; similar comments apply as with self-catering. Camping/caravanning on the festival campsite are possible if you are interested and buying a week's season ticket, locals sites are few in number, and tend to be full.

I do not recommend staying out of town and hoping to drive in, parking here is a year-round battle, with Folk Week its climax. During WFW even policemen have been known, when asked about somewhere to park, to reply "Have you considered Scarborough?". We are supposed to be getting a park+ride scheme one day, but I don't think it will be this year, maybe this decade.

There are nice walks in the area, and I can confirm that Joe has missed a good one, Robin Hood's Bay is a lovely spot and the cliff path lovely on a fine day. In bad weather the path is a very bad idea, but the regular bus runs until surprisingly late for a rural route, and even a taxi can be reasonable if filled to capacity.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: Northerner
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 05:11 AM

An excellent folk festival! Lots of concerts, dance displays and singarounds. I will be there having a go at storytelling and singing too. I am booked into a B & B. You will be very lucky to get into a B & B at this stage. Don't know about camping...

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: John J
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 05:27 AM

It's probably the best festival I've attended although I've not been for 7 years. I hope to be back next year.

The highlights for me are: the sessions & sings, Alistair Anderson's in particular, decent fish & chips, good concerts & ceilidhs, kippers, beer, dance displays, in fact just about everything.

I feel sure you'll enjoy the festival if you can get there, if only for a day trip to enjoy some of the sessions and soak up the atmosphere.

The first year we attended, my wife's thoughts as we drove (ho-ho!) through the town were that the entire visiting population of Sidmouth (earlier in the month) had been picked up and dropped on Whitby!

John

PS Welcome to Mudcat...you'll never leave.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: shepherdlass
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 06:51 AM

It's probably best to arrange to meet up with someone you know. I went a couple of years ago and felt a bit isolated. Everyone else knows each other and it feels a bit like walking into a big club (or in actual fact lots of big clubs) where you're the one outsider. Mind you, my opinions were probably coloured by my daughter having toothache and being thoroughly miserable for the whole week. Hope you have a good time - some of the music I heard was absolutely wonderful.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: shepherdlass
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 06:52 AM

PS If Doc Rowe's there, then make sure you get to some of his discussions.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: Mo the caller
Date: 04 Jun 06 - 07:18 AM

I found a bed and breakfast about a month ago, Yorkshire Tourist board will email a list of vacancies and you can check them
http://www.discoveryorkshirecoast.com/content/where_to_stay/whitby/wh_accomodation_search.asp#result

It's not so hard to find as when the regatta used to be the same week.

I started a Whitby thread a few weeks ago, more info there. Stick Whitby & 90 days in the search boxes, cos I can't do these blue clickies.

Enjoy it, it was a great festival last time I was there

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: old salty
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 05:10 AM

Dear guest, i have been to all but one of the whitby folk weeks and thats the main reason i am living here today.[ in whitby that is!]there is something for all.so bring your music,bring your voice and "come on down".Bring a brolly,aswell!

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: GUEST,Raggytash
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 06:54 AM

It's the biggest and the best, certainly in the North of England. It is a celebration of British music and dance. Dance sides abound even dancing in the tiniest of pubs where the floor has to be supported with Acro props !
The fringe is almost as big as the festival and I would recommend cherry-picking your concerts/displays and mixing them with sessions on the fringe.
The surrounding countryside is glorious and some of the villages especially along the coast are very beautiful.
Accomodation is a problem though, start looking NOW ! Camping close to the town is limited, the two sites closest no longer have camping facilities so you will have to travel further afield unless you can access the festival site with a ticket, there are good financial reasons to actually buy a ticket as camping alone will cost you almost as much if you are staying the whole festival.
Hope you visit and have a great time, you'll probably find me in the back room of the Black Horse, great little pub where we get a good cross section of singers

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: r.padgett
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 10:17 AM

Lots and lots to see and plenty of pubs

The Official Festival and the fringe run side by side in pub and club venues

See some of the UKs most devoted dancers, singers, song collectors, musicians and drinkers and sample the delights of the Real Ales available

Fringe pubs:

Tap and Spile, Endeavour, Middle Earth, Black Horse all round the harbour

A full week and if your here weekend before try Saltburn Folk Festival just up the coast!

Ray

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 11:51 AM

Don't forget the Shambles - big settees, view of the harbour, food, real ale, family room, clean toilets...no, I don't own it but it has a WOODEN FLOOR and enough space to dance if wet (or dry, for those of us who often dance in pubs anyway)

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: oombanjo
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 01:07 PM

I have never missed Whitby for 15 years you will find everything from folk to oldtimey sessions. I you make it don't forget your badge. Cheers Oombanjo.

Subject: RE: Folklore: What is the Whitby Folk Festival like??
From: GUEST
Date: 05 Jun 06 - 08:02 PM

Whitby is brilliant. Tere are 2 other major festivals in the south - Sidmouth of course and Broiadstairs which are also whole week festivals. They too are fantastic with a slightly different emphasis.