The 2008 FOLKFEST will be taking place from Friday 29th August to Sunday 31st August 2008.

Preparations are well underway to provide an even better weekend for you all in 2008, keeping all the things that were good in 2007 and improving areas that we all believe could be better this Folkfest.
We would love to improve on the workshop areas and if there are specific workshops you would like to see in 2008, then please contact us and we will take a democratic decision on what we can provide for you all.
We also intend to improve on the Family/Kids entertainment and your input would be helpful. Moving the Traders Fair to the centre of the Town on the Saturday was a major improvement in 2007 and we intend to extend the hours of the Fair, provide more Street Entertainment, and hopefully create an even bigger “buzz” in the Town Centre. Download a Traders Application Form
We will also be extending the hours of the Open Mic/Sessions Venue and promoting this more.
We are also considering adding an extra venue specifically aimed at young performers. We are looking to provide even more exciting acts than last year, (if that was possible), and are looking to bring a wide mixture of Acoustic and Roots music to you all …. and yet again it will be FREE!

Over 60 Acts Confirmed for 2008 are as follows:
(Click the Name of the Artist for more information and a taste of their music)

Bag of Rats
Eddie Martin
Phil King
Sheelanagig
Zoox
Ember
The Groanbox Boys
Forcenra!
Christi Andropolis
Ron Trueman Border
Dave Sutherland
Three Sheets T’Wind
The FOS Brothers
Elowen
The Dambuskers
The Ceili
Jerichova
Pete Stearn & Kate Riaz
Tex Braithwaite & The Biryani Brothers
Kiss The Mistress
Gangreen
Jankie Fardal
Norcsalordie
y’Strel’s Band
The Boys From Melbourne Street
Nimming Ned
Laura Hewison
Tinkerscuss
Pete Taylor
Wilcox & Brooks
Matt Woosey & The Strange Rain
Wyrd Guy
Diana Johnstone
Late Licence
The Appletree Boys
Pink Froot
Bob Smith
Robin Gray
Venezuela
Alex Lipinski
Mervin
Ginger Whingers
Cruel Folk
Strung Out
Matt Wescost
Broken Road
Joy Mulholland
Nick Elswood
Steve Brown
Pete Beach & Greg Aylmer
Tim Dean & Paul Stradling
Sally Pritchard & Kathy King
Jason Grey and Nas Adal
Dave “Busker” Harris
Rob Carey.
Gary French
Neil Biddiscombe
Tracy Neil Elliss-Brookes
Morgan
Rockin’ Replay
Beetlecrushers Clog
Tiger Feet Appalachian Clog
Grupo Fuego Flamenco

Keep checking back to watch this list grow week by week

A GREAT WEEKEND WITH OVER 100 HOURS OF
FREE LIVE MUSIC AND DANCE

The 2008 Folkfest is from Friday 29th August to Sunday 31st August, so hopefully you are making plans to visit Burnham-on-Sea for the weekend to join in the fun.

Tickets will be available soon for the Opening Concert (Acts to be confirmed soon) on the Friday Evening at the Ritz Social Club, from GC Music (01278 794434) at only £6. This is the only ticket event for the whole weekend, everything else is FREE.

On Saturday, we have an amazing SEVEN Pub/Club Venues, with live, free Folkfest music in each venue from mid-day until 11.00pm, plus an EIGHTH Pub providing an OPEN Mic and Sessions from 2pm - 9pm (that’s over 90 hours of live music for FREE in ONE DAY), plus Clog and Morris Dancing, a Craft Fair in the middle of the Town, Childrens Entertainment, Workshops and other activities.

On Sunday, the famous “Folk in the Park” event at Manor Gardens, with six hours of FREE music and performance including the fabulous Sheelanagig, Ember, Bag of Rats, Phil King, Tiger Feet Appalachian Dance Side from Cardiff, BeetleCrushers Clog and our own local Morris Side - The Chalice Morris Men in the lovely surroundings of a Victorian Park Garden. Plus Bar, refreshments, Craft Fair, Kids Entertainment.

It’s Monday morning and we are still buzzing after what was the best ever Folkfest in Burnham-on-Sea. A great start on Friday night with Black Friday a the Ritz, an incredible turnout on Saturday throughout the Town to see over 65 acts sing and play their hearts out to a large and appreciative crowd, and a record breaking Sunday event in Manor gardens to finish the weekend off. Thank you to all those people who performed and took part, and massive thanks to the organising committee who didn’t miss a beat on the plan, making it a well run festival. We didn’t see a face without a smile on it all weekend. If you don’t believe us, then check out the pictures on the link below, provided courtesy of Burnham-on-Sea.com (great job guys!), which provides a pictorial diary of the whole event, and the comments below. Please feel free to let us know what you thought of the whole event.

Click here for pictures on Burnham-on-Sea.com

More Pictures courtesy of Stephen Westwood who travelled from Cwmbran, Wales 174 pictures

Even more pictures from one of our Committee members Caroline, including Friday night

Details of the acts and where they are performing on the Saturday will soon be available for download (by the end of April), by clicking the link below.

Download the Schedule and get a list of acts performing and their venues
For more details of the acts and exact times of when they are performing on the Saturday get the FOLKFEST WHO’S WHO by clicking the link below (available soon).

Download the Who’s Who and get more details of the acts performing and their venues
ALL OF THIS INFORMATION IS IN THE OFFICIAL FOLKFEST PROGRAMME which will be available from June at a cost of £2 available from GC Music, the Folkfest Office and the Venues.

Be prepared for the weekend by getting a map of the venues to help you get around

Map of the Folkfest Venues
This map can also be found on the back page of the Official Festival Programme, and the schedule in the middle pages.

Help us advertise the event by downloading an A4 poster, printing it out and putting it up somewhere where likeminded people will see it.

Download a Poster and to get a list of acts performing

65 people attended the Fundraising Ceilidh on Easter Saturday and thanks to “Banshee” and an enthusiatic group of dancers, we had a successful fundraiser. A big thank you to Dom for organising the event and booking “Banshee” who were excellent, and to Caroline and Harry who worked hard all night organising the door and the refreshments.
The next fundraising Ceilidh is on July 14th 2007 at the Ritz Social Club with “Blakeney Reds”. Tickets will be available soon from GC Music 01278 794434

The committee is also organising a Quiz Night on Monday 25th June at the Somerset and Dorset Pub in Burnham-on-Sea High St. to help fundraising, so come along and join in the fun and help to raise much needed money for the Fest.

It is with great sadness that we have to inform you that Jack Cobbe has passed away following a prolonged illness. Jack was both the Chairman of the Folkfest Committe and a past chairman of the Ritz Acoustic Club. He was also a much loved teacher at King Alfreds School in Burnham-on-Sea and a past player (Back Row Flanker) and Chairman of Burnham Rugby Club.

A regular contributor to the Acoustic Club and also well known around the Folk Scene, Jack will be sadly missed and our thoughts are with Sharon and their two boys.

Jacks funeral took place at Taunton Deane Crematorium on Tuesday 3rd April at 1.00pm.

A Small Number of these limited edition T-Shirts (only 100 ever printed with Black Logo on White T-Shirt) are still available for sale at £10.00 each including P&P. Sizes L and XL. These will be sold on a first come, first served basis. Telephone GC Music on 01278 794434 or email: george@gcmusic.co.uk

What can we say other than a MASSIVE THANK YOU to everybody who came to Burnham-on-Sea’s first Folkfest; the players, the dancers, the traders, the helpers, the organisers and the appreciative audiences everywhere.

PICTURES OF THE WEEKEND:
CLICK HERE FOR PICTURES of both Saturday and Sunday (Courtesy of Caroline Boyce, member of the folkfest committee )

More Pictures of the Saturday (Courtesy of burnham-on-sea.com)

More Pictures of the Sunday (Courtesy of burnham-on-sea.com)

CHECK OUT THE FEEDBACK FROM THOSE WHO ENTERTAINED YOU BY CLICKING HERE