Our favourite UK folk festivals

Folk festivals offer all kinds of laid back musical and arty treats, from well-known music acts to comedy poetry, literature and film. If you are up for a fun and friendly weekend enjoying some great music, you’ll be spoilt for choice with wonderful the UK folk festivals highlighted below. In addition these festivals are family friendly and promote eco-friendly values, encouraging recycling and respect for the areas in which they are hosted, so you can enjoy entertainment while making a minimal impact on the environment.

Cambridge Folk Festival

Taking place over four days in July, the Cambridge Folk Festival caters to adults and children alike, with a designated kids’ area, a children’s concert and workshops along with numerous international and local musicians and art and craft workshops for adults. This festival also showcases up-and-coming musical talent and informal jam sessions amongst festival visitors are encouraged if you have an instrument! Adult tickets for the full festival are around £125, with a range of other discounted tickets as well. Plus, if you’d like to explore beyond the festival, this is the ideal opportunity to discover the city of Cambridge.

Green Man Festival

The Green Man Festival takes place over four days during August in the Black Mountains within the Brecon Beacons. Over a thousand performers provide round-the-clock entertainment in areas such as poetry, comedy, science, literature and live music. This is a family-friendly festival that offers workshops and activities for young children as well as events that will keep teens entertained too. Adult tickets are around £145 with discounted prices for kids’ tickets. This festival is also great for exploring the beautiful Brecon Beacons which offers fantastic scenery for walks.

Beverley Folk Festival

Set in the historic market town of Beverley, this festival offers a range of music genres such as folk, classic rock and world music. However there are other interests catered to as well including comedy, poetry, literature, dance and film so visitors have a wide choice of entertainments. The festival hosts local and international artists as well as emerging talent. Young children will love getting stuck into the craft activities and workshops on offer, while teens may be keen to see talented musicians around their own age perform each night. There is a lot to explore outside of the festival too. Take a leisurely stroll around Beverley, visit the impressive Beverley Minster which dates from 1220 or peruse the museums and galleries. The festival occurs over a weekend in June, with adult tickets costing around £100 for the weekend including camping. Other tickets are available too, with children up to 11 years old getting free entry.

End of the Road Festival

The beautiful Larmer Tree Gardens in the hills of North Dorset and South Wiltshire hosts the End of the Road Festival around the end of August for three days. This event is a treat for the whole family with a variety of outdoor stages and smaller tent stages hosting great music acts, a comedy stage, a cinema and even a woodland library where you can check out books for personal use and listen to author readings and discussions each day. The diverse range of workshops will also have adults and children learning something new while having loads of fun. Adult weekend tickets including camping are about £150, with a range of children’s tickets at discounted rates.

Wychwood Festival

For three days around the end of May Cheltenham Racecourse is home to the Wychwood Festival. Featuring well-known as well as new musical acts, there’s no shortage of acts to get you in the party spirit. There are other fantastic attractions as well including go-karting, hot tubs, a cinema and paintballing, while the varied workshops cover areas such as belly dancing, jewellery making and foraging to name a few. The festival also has a designated toddlers’ area, a Children’s Literature Festival and a host of fantastic children’s workshops. Adult weekend tickets are around £125 (£100 for earlybird tickets), with discounted tickets for children.

Something for everyone

The folk festivals above really do cater to all sorts of folk, whether you enjoy music, comedy, literature or learning new skills in workshops. Plus with numerous activities to keep children busy, these folk festivals guarantee a great time for everyone who visits.