Sidmouth FolkWeek’s 60th festival (1st – 8th August 2014) have been tapping into the rich seam of vintage talent that has contributed to the festival’s glory down the years – and a hand-picked selection of the stars of the future.

SHOWSTOPPING HEADLINERS…
They have announced that one of the UK’s greatest musical storytellers, Ralph McTell, will be joining them for a rare and very special appearance at our Pre Festival Special on Thursday 31 July.
Celebrating more than 40 years on the road himself, Ralph is a Sidmouth veteran, having played at the Arena for the 50th festival in 2004. A Lifetime Achievement Award winner at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Ralph is renowned for both his virtuoso guitar style and his gift as a songwriter, most notably the poignant Streets of London.

Other headliners throughout the week include:
England’s number one traditional singing family The Copper Family; legendary ambassadors of Scottish music, Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham; Irish songbird Cara Dillon; festival patron and local hero Steve Knightley and Friends; one of Scotland’s freshest new acts Breabach; the ultimate family duo Martin Carthy and Eliza Carthy; the solid gold Oysterband – old friends of Sidmouth playing both a concert and an extra special ceilidh; an exciting new ensemble bringing together Northumbrian folk traditions and classical Kathryn Tickell & The Side; the ever-popular pairing of Chris Wood and Andy Cutting; the pioneering Quebecois Yves Lambert Trio; new powerhouse trio of Martin Simpson, Andy Cutting and Nancy Kerr; crack Canadian fiddling, electric step dancing, sweet singing from April Verch Band; the side-splitting comic genius of New Rope String Band; vibrant Danish dancefloor-fillers Habadekuk; the galvanising Celtic instrumental union Kan; quirky acoustic festival favourites Moulettes; the soaring pipe driven tunes of Ross Ainslie and Jarlath Henderson and a swinging 60s Silent Disco night.

A special WW1 Commemoration will be staged on the 4th August, the exact 100 year anniversary of the start of the war. Gentle Men: a history of the First World War through the lives of Pt Ern Johnson & Pt Harry Jenner, is an evocative and personal account of the 1st World War performed by Roy Bailey & Robb Johnson.

A special occasion deserves some special plans. Here’s a taste of what’s in store….
As FolkWeek means so many different things to different people, they aim to celebrate all week with special events in each part of the festival…from special guests from the very early years of Social Dance, where the festival began in 1955, in a Grand Anniversary Dance, as well as some vintage ceilidh bands, including Old Swan Band’s special anniversary ceilidh; some Diamond Geezers from the world of music and song; tales from festival friend and Storytelling Laureate Taffy Thomas; a beating traditional song and music heart; the return of some of the most influential Morris teams over the years and plans afoot for some special overseas guests who will bring back memories of Arena shows.

With an eye on the future generations, there will be a key role for festival founders English Folk Dance & Song Society (EFDSS) with their Folk Rising Plus concerts celebrating the new generation of folk music talent and the popular fRoots-sponsored Cellar Full of Folkadelia return. Sidmouth-born Shooting Roots youth sessions come of age as they plan to celebrate their 21st and the Children's Festival promises extra special party atmosphere!

Getting together a milestone festival like the 60th is a mammoth enterprise, bringing the return of old favourites and new innovations. Our focus has to be on bringing our guests a special and memorable programme right across the Festival.

Festival Director John Braithwaite says: “For that reason, in 2014 we will be staying at Bulverton with our much loved and well established Festival Campsite and Festival Clubhouse. To ensure that our customers and guests knew as early as possible, with absolute certainty, what our plans were for this year, we set a deadline of end of January for any changes to this area of the Festival. Needing planning permission to go forward has pushed the project past the deadline date. So that customers can book with certainty, we decided to announce our intentions as early as possible, so that we can concentrate on giving guests a blockbuster festival to remember!”

“We are already feeling the excitement of this year's event, bringing, as it will, a host of memories and new experiences for our guests in every part of the Festival. We look forward to welcoming back old friends, and new ones alike, to experience a very special 60th Sidmouth FolkWeek.”

Sidmouth Folk Week 2014takes place at Various Locations, Sidmouth, Devon between Fri 1st to Fri 8th August 2014. For more information and ticket links click here.

Artists booked to appear:
Oysterband, Cara Dillon, Aly Bain & Phil Cunningham, Steve Knightley & Friends, Kathryn Tickell & The Side, Martin Simpson, Breabach, Martin Carthy & Eliza Carthy, Kan, The April Verch Band, Roy Bailey & John Kirkpatrick, Le Bruit Court Dans la Ville, The Copper Family, Kris Drever & Eamonn Coyne, Lisa Knapp, Habadekuk, Zulu Tradition, Tony McManus, The New Rope String Band, Ross Ainslie & Jarlath Henderson, John Kirkpatrick, Calan, elshazzar's Feast, Moulettes, Fiona Hunter, Josienne Clark & Ben Walker, Pete Coe, Andy Cutting, Taffy Thomas, Debs Newbold, Jim Woodland, Steve Ashley, Martyn Wyndham-Read, Miranda Sykes & Rex Preston, The Carravick Sisters, Mary Hampton, The Will Pound Band, The Gren Bartley Band, Sandra Kerr, Lester Simpson, Will Lang, Nick & Mary Barber, Old Swan Band, Gas Mark 5, Florida, Toothless Mary, Andrew Shaw, John Meechan, Madeleine Smith, Les Barclay, Mike Courthold, Martyn Harvey, Andrew Swaine, Jerry O'Reilly, The Falconers, The Night Before, Rod & Frances Stradling, Paul Hutchinson with John Hymas and Lynda Byrt, Fat Harry, Double Dichotomy, The Liam Robinson Band, The Pigeon Swing, Kerry Fletcher, Monty's Maggot, Gordon Potts, Nick Walden, Phil Bassindale, Sue Coe, Carmen Hunt, Alice Jones, The Dovetail Trio, Peter and Barbara Snape, Bob and Gill Berry, John Howson, Dan Quinn, Will Lang, Great Western Morris, Shropshire Bedlams & Martha Rhoden's Tuppenny Dish, Candyrapper, The Ouse Washes Molly Dancers, Thales Rapper, Windsor Morris, Newcastle Kingsmen Sword Dancers, Eynsham Morris, Black Adder Rapper and Step, Luascadh Irish Dancers, Sidmouth Steppers, Jake Jones & Dan Eccles, Kemysk Cornish Dancers, Feet First Appalachian Dancers