'We can't wait!' - Shrewsbury Folk Festival organisers ready for return
Organisers of Shrewsbury Folk Festival say they can't wait for next month's event to go ahead – after taking last year off due to the pandemic.
The event, which will be at West Mid Showground from August 27-30, is one of the few major UK folk festivals that will be taking place this year.
This year’s bill includes Kate Rusby, Oysterband, Show of Hands, Afro Celt Sound System, Seth Lakeman, The Christians, Dervish, Lindisfarne and The Young’uns.
Shrewsbury will host the only festival appearance of the acclaimed Lost Words: Spell Songs project, and shanty sensations The Longest Johns will also perform.
Other acts include leading kora musician Sona Jobarteh, Joji Hirota and the London Taiko Drummers, Band of Burns, Seckou Keita Quartet, BBC Folk Award-winners The Trials of Cato, Calan and James Yorkston.
Festival organisers have opted for open air stages instead of the usual enclosed marquees, to ensure plenty of space for the thousands of festival-goers who will descend.
Other than that, it will be business as usual. Kids and teens will be catered for with their own children and youth festivals, with packed programmes of music, song, crafts, circus skills, drama and fun. There are also ceilidhs, dance shows and workshops including yoga, music and more.
An artisan craft fair will focus on handmade and ethical products, and there will be a food village featuring international cuisine and vegan and veggie dishes, on-site camping and glamping and real ale and cocktail bars, including Olive, the eye catching double decker cocktail bus.
Festival director Sandra Surtees said the festival was expecting an influx of visitors this year who are opting for UK-based holidays and looking to try something new.
She said: “With so many other festivals having cancelled, Shrewsbury is a beacon of light in the festival calendar! Many people come to the festival as a holiday in itself as there’s so much to do.
“Music stages and venues are surrounded by camping and glamping so everything is within easy reach. With onsite showers, a festival shop and our team of friendly stewards ready to help, all people need to do is pitch up, relax and enjoy the weekend!
“It’s been a really tough time for everyone, including event organisers, over the past 16 months and we can’t to wait to put that all behind us over the August Bank Holiday weekend.”
Weekend and day tickets can be booked at shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk/booktickets - with onsite camping and glamping available for weekend ticket holders.
