Latest news...
This is where we put breaking news and items of interest throughout the year - check this page regularly to keep up to date!
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2-August-2010
Did you leave anything at the festival? Check out our lost property page for items handed in at this year's festival. If you wish to claim any of them you can contact any of the festival staff using the details on the Contact Page.
27th July 2010 - Bromyard Folk Festival has a new website address.
If you have been having trouble accessing Bromyard Folk Festival's website, it's because its address has changed. Until the various search engines have registered its new address, it is unlikely that you will find it by typing 'Bromyard Folk Festival' into a search engine. Click on the logo here or on our links page to get to its new address and save it as a favourite (or come back here to find it!) until they catch up. Many of us here at Warwick also help out at Bromyard, and would hate it to suffer because no-one can find it to buy tickets on-line. If you haven't been before, try it out - we're sure you'll enjoy it!
18th July 2010
Steamchicken's Jazz Tour puts Warwick in Times' Hot Ticket Recommendation!
Congratulations to our very own "Steamers" for attracting attention at the recent Gate to Southwell Folk Festival with their Steamchicken Jazz Tour and generating for Warwick a listing in the Hot Tickets section of last Friday's 'The Times' Arts and Ents section!
George Hinchliffe of The Ukelele Orchestra of Great Britain was asked to give his cultural tips for the upcoming week, and Steamchicken's appearance at Warwick Folk Festival made us his choice of Festival!
Pictured alongside the recommendation, a picture of one of this year's local dance sides - Earlsdon Morris from nearby Coventry.
Members and family of Steamchicken are long time supporters of Warwick Folk Festival, instrumental (pun intended), over the years, in helping to make Warwick what it is today.
Also responsible for encouraging a new generation of bands, acts and morris dancers, they are a festival in their own right! See them around town over the weekend, and don't forget to buy them a beer.
Read about Steamchicken and The Earlsdon Morris Men, and look out for them during the course of the weekend.
5th June 2010 - BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards Finalists will play Warwick's 31st Folk Festival
We're delighted that Warwick Folk Festival 2010 will feature two of the finalists in the 2009 BBC Radio 2 Young Folk Awards, and proud to extend our congratulations to all the finalists.
Read the full list of award finalists on the Spiral Earth website and look out for Niamh Boadle and the Carrivick Sisters during the course of the weekend.
7th May 2010 - Warwick Folk Festival announces a new event - a pre-festival screening of the film 'Morris: A Life With Bells On' at The Bridge House Theatre on Wednesday 21st July.
A new first for Warwick Folk Festival - tickets are a bargain at just £5, but an additional screening will be arranged during the course of the festival weekend for those who buy Weekend, Weekend Plus and Day/Evening tickets. Wednesday Film tickets can be bought only through the Bridge House Theatre, and you can find out how to buy this and all other festival tickets both through the Bridge House Theatre and on-line through our own website.
6th May 2010 - Jim Moray releases his 4th album free with Songlines
We're proud to announce a success for our patron Jim Moray - a collaboration with the popular magazine Songlines to release his 4th album. Read about this latest venture and see him at this year's festival!
21st March 2010 - Warwick Folk Festival announces a new pre-festival concert at Warwick School on Thursday 22nd July.
Multiple East Coast Music Award Winners JOEL PLASKETT and THE GRASS MOUNTAIN HOBOS will ensure that the 2010 Warwick Folk Festival explodes into life as they take to the stage.
From Halifax, Nova Scotia, Joel Plaskett has achieved outstanding critical and commercial success in Canada. His songwriting ability, powerful stage performances and blend of styles from rock through country to acoustic folk and beyond have won him thousands of fans and countless awards and nominations for a string of quality albums. At the 2010 ECMAs, Joel scooped an unbelievable SIX awards, ranging from Songwriter Of The Year to Single Of The Year - it all promises one hell of a gig...
With an infectious swing, bluegrass, blues, and folk infusion, The Grass Mountain Hobos have entertained audiences at gigs and festivals across Canada. This retro-styled six-piece harks back to the days when music was live, edgy and exciting: with songs that grab you by the heart and feet at the same time, you won't be able to stop yourself dancing!
The acts came to the attention of Festival Director Dick Dixon on a recent trip to Canada, where he was an invited delegate at the ECMA, held in Sydney, Nova Scotia. "The standard of the musicians we saw was amazing," said Dick. "They worked us really hard, with a heavy programme of showcases, concerts, interviews with artists and agents and much more. We had a fantastic time!"
Dick's invitation to visit the Awards is recognition of Warwick Folk Festival's commitment to featuring the best in traditional and contemporary folk music, and we're hopeful that we will be able to feature more excellent artists from the ECMA in the future.
The Awards, held in Cape Breton, form part of the East Coast Music Association's mission to foster, develop, promote and celebrate a diverse range of music from the region.
Tickets for the concert are a bargain at just £15, but for even better value you can buy a Weekend Plus ticket for just £75, including entry to this amazing concert and camping for just £7 more than a standard Weekend ticket. Buy tickets here.
21st March 2010 - Warwick Folk Festival and Action 21 working together for a greener Warwick.
Warwick Folk Festival and Leamington sustainability organisation Action 21 are working together to provide a full recycling service at this year's Festival on July 23-25
This year, Action 21 will be providing their expertise in the recycling of waste on the site, maximising its use to promote sustainability. Throughout the Festival weekend, Action 21's team of volunteers will collect and recycle litter and provide information to visitors about their local projects and initiatives.
Says Warwick Folk Festival spokesman, Dave Allton, 'This is an exciting development for us and something that we've wanted to do for a long time. Our partnership with Action 21 will ensure that the Festival has a positive impact not only on the economy and community life of our host town but also on its environment.'
For more details about their work , visit Action 21's website.
14th Febuary 2010 - Spiral Earth Award winners will play Warwick's 31st Folk Festival
In the 2009 Spiral Earth Awards, The QP won in the Best debut album category.
Read the full list of award winners on the Spiral Earth website and see The QP at Warwick Folk Festival 2010.
10th August 2009 - Warwick Folk Festival supported WaterAid
A huge vote of thanks to everyone who attended for a successful launch of our support for WaterAid.
Your generosity at Friday evening's Make A Splash! ceilidh and after the marquee concerts amounted to an impressive £600
Not bad for our first year!
Want to know more about WaterAid's work nationally and internationally? Visit their website.
insert date here! - Festival provisional running order now available
Provisional running orders for the main festival, kid's programme and workshops are now available for viewing or download from the Programme Page.
12th May 2009 - Festival director Dick Dixon made Freeman of Warwick
We're sure you'd like to join us in congratulating Dick Dixon on being admitted as an Honourary Freeman of the Town of Warwick last month in recognition for his work for Warwick Folk Festival. The Mayor of Warwick, Councillor Anne Mellor made the award during a recent Civic Evening. At the ceremony, she said, 'Dick Dixon will be remembered for his gift to Warwick, the Folk Festival which has now grown into a national event attracting visitors and artists from all over the world.'
Says Dick 'The award is a wonderful honour but the Festival's success is down to the work of a large team of dedicated people and the fantastic support that we've received from the people of Warwick itself over the years.' Dick has been involved with the organisation of the Festival since the beginning, and its continued success can be attributed to his inspiration, dedication, leadership and sheer hard work over three decades. The fact that Dick is the first person since 1974 to receive this honour is testimony to the respect in which he is held by the civic and business leaders of the town.
With his usual attention to detail, Dick is currently researching his new role and checking the small print of the ancient town charters in case he is now entitled to a free pint in all the pubs in Warwick...
10th May 2009 - Warwick Folk Festival supports WaterAid
To launch our support for WaterAid at Warwick Folk Festival 2009, we have decided that our Friday night ceilidh featuring Peeping Tom with Philip Bassindale will have the theme Make A Splash!.
Interpret that how you will, but we think a massive fancy dress ceilidh would be a great way to begin the weekend AND make people think about WaterAid's work. Members of the local WaterAid group will be on site throughout the Festival weekend, and if you want to know more about WaterAid's work nationally and internationally visit the WaterAid website.
10th May 2009 - Warwick Folk Festival is now on Facebook
As well as our popular MySpace page, Warwick Folk Festival is now also on Facebook. Check it out, leave us a message, contact other Warwick Festival Folks!
9th Febuary 2009 - Folk Award winners play Warwick's 30th Folk Festival
At the recent BBC Radio Folk Awards, Tom McConville won the Musician of the Year award and our own Patron, Jim Moray performed "All You Pretty Girls" by Andy Partridge which won the Best Original Song award.
Read the full list of award winners on the BBC website and see Tom and Jim at Warwick Folk Festival 2009.
4th February 2009 - Leamington Observer article about Warwick 30th Folk Festival
Today's Leamington Observer contains an article about the upcoming 30th Warwick Folk Festival - you can also read the article online.
Leaminton Courier also have on-line coverage.
26th January 2009 - Poem to celebrate Warwick Folk Festival's 30th year
Cathy Whittaker, recently appointed as Warwick's Poet Laureate for 2008-2009, has written a poem called 'The Song Keepers' to celebrate Warwick Folk Festival's 30th year.
Find out more about Cathy or read the poem.
22nd January 2009 - Jim Moray announced as Patron for 30th Warwick Folk Festival
27-year old Moray has accepted the appointment as new Patron of Warwick Folk Festival, taking over from the veteran Warwick-born folksinger June Tabor. A graduate of the Birmingham Conservatoire, his powerful award-winning debut album Sweet England was released in 2003, introducing striking electronic arrangements to English traditional music. His latest album, Low Culture is the Mojo Folk Album of 2008 and is nominated for this year's BBC Folk Awards.
28th-December-2008 - Provisional list of artists for Warwick 2009 announced
A great line-up for 2009 has been announced, including:
Kate Rusby, Eric Bogle, Spooky Mens's Chorale, Jim Moray, Keer Fagan Harbron, Ross Ainslie & Jarlath Henderson, The Old Dance School, Wheeler Street, The Doonan Family Band and many more.
See the Artists Page for more details.
