Stage is set for first Malmesbury Folk & Roots Festival

Tickets have gone on sale for Malmesbury’s first ever folk music festival, and fans from across the region look set to arrive in the Wiltshire market town to see some of the genre’s best-loved acts.

The Malmesbury Folk & Roots Festival is being staged on Saturday September 23 in Malmesbury Abbey Cloister Gardens and has been timed to tie in with the inaugural European Folk Day. 

Supported by Malmesbury Town Council, it’s on course to becoming an annual highlight of the folk music calendar and organisers hope for a capacity crowd of 450 plus.

“I am so excited Malmesbury is celebrating the inaugural European Folk Music Day with our first ever one day Folk & Roots festival of traditional music and dance,” said Malmesbury Mayor, Cllr Gavin Grant. 

“It promises to be a terrific event, set in the beautiful Cloister Gardens with a great line up of musicians, local talent showcase, food stalls and bar, and raising funds for my Mayoral good causes. I hope it will become an annual fixture in Malmesbury’s events calendar.”

Malmesbury Folk & Roots is being organised by town resident Catherine Burke, a folk music lover who runs the annual, world-renowned Purbeck Valley Folk Festival.

Catherine has booked some big names for the stage, including Martha Tilson, Old Baby Mackerel and Wiltshire band Fly Yeti Fly. Headlining is 3 Daft Monkeys. She said the festival would offer something for everyone to enjoy.

“People sometimes have an idea of what folk music is, but it really is much broader. Ed Sheeran is a man with a guitar, storytelling, and to me that’s folk music. We’ve called the festival ‘folk and roots’, to show we have a wide variety – Opa Rosa is an upbeat Balkan band, Old Baby Mackerel are bluegrass - so think Dukes of Hazzard - and Martha Tilson plays very laid back, chilled music. Everyone will enjoy it.”

As part of the festival, Morris dancers will be performing at different places around the town, and local cafes, shops and restaurants are getting ready for a busy day. Burton Hill campsite is offering a discount to festival-goers.

Musician Stephen Kearney, director of MusicLan Studios and European Folk Network member, is also getting involved.

“There was never a better time to celebrate the incredible musical diversity and cultures of Europe,” he said. “The traditional arts are an essential element of European cultural identity and diversity. They are a source of wealth in every sense of the word. There are millions of us who work, create and actively participate in this fundamental element of our culture. I'm delighted that the Mayor of Malmesbury has so actively embraced that and mobilised the town’s people so effectively.”

Malmesbury Folk & Roots runs from 1.30pm to 10.30pm and tickets are available from https://www.universe.com/events/malmesbury-folk-roots-tickets-H6BL71?ref=universe-discover, for £25 (under 12s are free and must be accompanied by an adult). Tickets can also be bought from Malmesbury Tourist Information Centre and High Street shop Renew.