The traditional Chester Folk Festival is once again taking place online, however, this year it’s combining with Chippenham Folk Festival from 28 – 31 May, find out more from the organisers here …
Two Great Folk Festivals – One Amazing Online Event
Chippenham & Chester combine for one amazing online Folk Festival experience in May!
Every year on the Spring Bank Holiday weekend, two communities of like-minded people usually celebrate all things Folk, 175 miles apart. Not this year! We are thrilled to announce that this May we are combining forces to bring to you the best of both worlds in an online extravaganza jointly organised by Chippenham Folk Festival and Chester Folk Festival.
Whilst we all look forward to a time when we can cram ourselves into a concert, or even a pub, the global pandemic has meant we’ve had to be more innovative in how we can still get that folky fix. This year we have decided to take advantage of the opportunities of going online to create a collaboration which will have you singing, dancing and playing your socks off, all in the comfort of your own home!
There are some real benefits to going online: geography is no longer a boundary, we’re not just able to combine two folk festivals, we can have a global reach, bringing communities together wherever they are in the world. On hearing the news, John Kirkpatrick, the patron of Chippenham Folk Festival said:
“This is such an exciting idea – two great festivals pooling their resources to make one mighty weekend that can be enjoyed from anywhere in the world. In these strange times, it’s so impressive to see how constantly resourceful and inventive the folk community can be to keep the music alive and kicking.”
And BBC Radio 2 Folk Show presenter, and long-time supporter of Chester, Mark Radcliffe commented:
“In these most trying of times for live music: I think my old friends at Chester and new friends at Chippenham may be ahead of the curve here. What a brilliant idea to pool the resources of two seasoned and respected events which normally happen simultaneously. I think this will bring a harmonious and heart-warming ‘Two Way Family Favourites’ flavour to the joint event. All hail Chestenham. I’m sure many others will follow your lead”
We are working on a cracking line up of artists, callers and dancers from around the world. All hail Chestenham, or should that be Chippster! Watch this space…
