Cheltenham Folk Festival started In 1997, when Cheltenham Folk Club organiser John Shorter together with Town Hall and Entertainments Manager Tim Hulse created an event that showed off the roots of Folk tradition, as well as provided a platform for new talents. Cheltenham Folk Festival is an indoor festival with very friendly atmosphere, a weekend of great, relaxing musical entertainment..

Cheltenham Folk Festival

2006 Folk Festival celebrated the 10th Anniversary with singer and fiddler Eliza Carthy as patron of the Festival. New venues were introduced, workshop programme was extended and many a pint as well as good wholesome food were consumed.

The line up included Warsaw Village Band, John Dipper Band, Roy Bailey, John Kirkpatrick, Martin Simpson, The Wailin’ Jennys, Mick Holditch and BELLOWhead, winners of the Best Live Act in BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards.

2007 Folk Festival hosted popular bands such as Blue Murder, Michael McGoldrick Trio and Van Eyken. The final of a Song Writing Competition which was set up to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the English Folk Dance and Song Society, which was open to anyone who is under 30 years old, was scheduled as well as Aqua-Ceilidh which was held at Cheltenham Leisure Centre. Dance teams from around the country were entertaining crowds in the streets of Cheltenham on Saturday and Sunday afternoon.

2008 line-up included Show of Hands, Megson, Brass Monkey, Three Magpies, Jo Freya’s Lal Waterson Project, Down the Lawson Track (Martyn Wyndham Read’s No Man’s Band with Shirley Collins) and many more.

The opening concert of the 2009 Cheltenham Folk Festival will be headlined by Steve Ashley with Robert Kirby and Orchestra. The Folk Festival will also witness the performances of Altan, Breabach, Jeff Davis and The Old Fashioned, who will be visiting Cheltenham for the first time. Other performers, such as Martin Simpson and Andy Cutting, Faustus, Brian Peters and local band Grand Union, are coming back as festival favourites.

CHELTENHAM FOLK FESTIVAL 2009
13 - 15 February 2009

In person at the Town Hall, or by telephone on 01242 227979. To book by post please address your booking forms to the The Folk Festival Box Office at the Town Hall address and supply s. a. e. or £1 postage if you wish your tickets to be posted to you. You can also book online at www.cheltenhamtownhall.org.uk

Weekend or day tickets are available, gaining you addmission to all events for the specified period or you can purchase a ticket for individual events. Indoor camping is available with your weekend ticket.