Folk Weekend: Oxford 2020 is NOT cancelled! It will be the usual combination of joyful song, high-energy dance, and raucous music – only this time, they're coming through the realms of cyberspace direct to your house! Events take place over 17-19th April – and tickets are available NOW from www.folkweekendoxford.co.uk.
Folk Weekend: Oxford Director Cat McGill says “We are in unprecedented times. Much of the country has come to a standstill; in the cultural sector musicians and artists have seen their bookings dry up for the months ahead, and keen concert and festival-goers have had email after email of cancelations and refunds. Many cultural organisations will feel they have no choice but to cancel upcoming events; however we feel that we have no choice but to go on. We need to support our artists as best we can in these difficult times, and our audiences are going to need culture and the arts more than ever.”
The ever-popular duo Jackie Oates and Megan Henwood are topping the concert schedule on Saturday, alongside three-time BBC Folk Award nominees Gilmore & Roberts, and BBC Performing Arts fellow Rosie Hood. New to the line up is a Friday headline event by festival patron John Spiers, who follows his Bellowhead bandmate Paul Sartin (Faustus, Belshazzar’s Feast), English fiddle-singer Bryony Griffith (Bedlam, Demon Barbers), and multi-instrumentalist Jo Freya (Blowzabella, Morai). On Sunday there’s a double-header with Reg Meuross and Findlay Napier, who are sharing a stage for the first time, as well as banjo legend Dan Walsh, innovative clog dancer and musician Hannah James, and upcoming singer Iona Lane. And if all this self-isolation is driving you a bit stir-crazy, why not join the Kitchen Ceilidh with 3sticks on Saturday night!
As well as the ticketed events there will also be the usual programme of free events throughout the weekend; Oxfordshire artists including Jon Fletcher, Susanna Starling, Ben Avison, and Henderson:Hooper (who were due to perform on the Showcase Stages in venues across the city) are now setting up their performance spaces at home, ready to stream their set live on the Folk Weekend: Oxford Facebook page.
For those who like to join in, there will be a virtual session room set up in Zoom all weekend, where people can drop in and share tunes and songs. There will be themed sessions at various times over the festival, including European music, Morris tunes, slow tunes for beginners, and various song shares. Folk Weekend fans can send in photos and videos of themselves dancing and playing at home, and we’ll share them on social media!
If you’ve already bought your tickets you’ll receive an email with instructions for logging on to the concert space. If you haven’t bought your tickets yet it’s not too late! Visit www.folkweekendoxford.co.uk for information on the full line up and to purchase tickets.
