For 29 years, the Beverley Folk Festival has helped to put Beverley on the music map.  With past acts ranging from Paul Carrack and Billy Bragg, to Steeleye Span and Joe Brown, the ever-popular event has become a hit with both local residents and festival-goers from further afield. 

From a small-scale series of concerts run by a handful of volunteers in 1983, Beverley Folk Festival has grown to be one of the most popular of its kind, listed in The Sunday Times top ten of festivals and regularly receives praise from the regional and national press.  However, the town is different to how it was thirty years ago, with venues that the Festival used to hire either no longer available or having changed, making them no longer suitable for the event as it is today.  The Beverley Leisure Complex has been a great venue over the past few years, but with increasing pressures on space and facilities there, and to ensure the future sustainability of the Festival and its growing needs to develop, has led to an exciting development for the 2013 event. 

To celebrate its “Big 30”, the Folk Festival will relocate to Beverley Racecourse.  The new venue will provide excellent facilities for the Festival and is surrounded by the natural beauty of the Westwood, whilst still being within a stone’s throw of the historic town centre.  The move will include a new partnership with the Beverley Race Company to help ensure the Festival’s long-term sustainability. 

On Saturday 1st September 2012, a sample of musicians lined up for the 2013 Folk Festival will be performing at the Racecourse as part of a race fixture, which will also include a beer festival run by Hull and East Yorkshire CAMRA.  Artists who will be performing include Edwina Hayes, David Ward McLean and The Duncan McFarlane Trio. 

Chris Wade, the Festival’s Artistic Director, explained: “Preparations are already well underway for celebrating this landmark in Beverley Folk Festival’s history – none more so than a change of location to the Beverley Racecourse.  Over the years, we have gone from being a local festival for traditional folk music, to become an exciting and vibrant mix of music, poetry, comedy and film enjoyed by families and festival-goers from all over the country.  The move to the Racecourse means we can work towards expanding the range and scale of performers, alongside working with our new partner, the Beverley Race Company, to look at long-term sustainability and further successes.  When people come to the racecourse on September 1st, they will be able to get a feel for the new festival site with some live music  – we want to give people a taste of what the Festival has to offer, whilst enjoying a great afternoon at the races.”                                                                 

Sally Iggulden, Chief Executive of the Beverley Race Company, agreed that this is an exciting time for the Festival and is looking forward to working in partnership with the event organisers: “The Folk Festival is a very popular and well-respected Beverley institution.  We hope that our partnership will bring something new to the Racecourse and Events Centre and provide a long-term home for the Festival itself, which, like us, helps to attract visitors from all over the country and beyond to our historic market town.” 

Hull-based singer-songwriter Henry Priestman, who regularly performs at the Festival and was a founder member of 1980s band The Christians, welcomed the move.  He said:  “I feel privileged to have been asked to play Beverley Folk Festival for the last four years running; it's my favourite festival to play, and to attend. Change sometimes scares people, but being a local boy, I feel that the move to Beverley Racecourse can only be a positive thing. I'm sure the move will offer some great opportunities to develop further, and what a beautiful location, right by the Westwood. Here's to 30 more years!” 

With artists already lined up for next year including The Proclaimers, Show of Hands and Circus Envy, the organisers and Beverley Race Company are committed to retaining the same intimate and creative, eclectic and quality experience festival-goers have come to expect and enjoy.  With all this in place, the thirtieth anniversary of the Beverley Folk Festival will definitely be something worth singing about. 

Artists already confirmed for 2013

The Proclaimers • Show of Hands with Miranda Sykes • Eduardo Niebla • Edwina Hayes • Farino

Circus Envy • Eric Brace & Peter Cooper (USA) • Coco and the Butterfields • Lau • Henry Priestman

Blackbeard’s Tea Party • The Young ‘Uns • The Duncan McFarlane Band