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Tenterden
Folk Festival 2014
Thursday
2nd to Sunday 5th October
It is now only one month to the 22nd Tenterden Folk
Festival (TFF) and we are all set for an amazing weekend of folk
song, music, dance, crafts and traditions. TFF is really more like
several festivals rolled into one.
The festival craft fair on The Recreation Ground and street stalls in
the High Street on the Saturday and Sunday get bigger and better
every year and now have their own website at www.tenterdencraftfair.org.uk.
As well as Hobgoblin Music and Talking Elephant Records
there will be craft stalls of all kinds, speciality foods, clothes, a
real ale bar, refreshments and much more. The guest list
for the free Showcase Stage in the Marquee includes popular local
bands and visitors from far and wide. Names you may already
know include Captain Patch & the Mermaid Mollies, Gentlemen
of Few and Green Diesel, but make sure you also watch out for the
excellent visiting bands you have not seen before.
The street festival includes at least 40 Morris sides, Appalachian
dancers, Slovakian dancers, several giants, a clog dancing horse, a
one man band as well as several surprises. The festival
procession will, as usual, be on Saturday so do not forget that the
High Street and Recreation Ground Road are closed for up to an
hour from 3.00 p.m. Morris sides will be visiting the recently
opened Old Dairy Brewer on Friday and Saturday and the Kent &
East Sussex Railway on Saturday and Sunday and you are welcome to
join them. On Saturday and Sunday the dancers will be found
around the town centre and on the free dance stage at the marquee.
Folk singers and musicians from all over the country will flock to
the four town centre pubs from Friday onwards to join in numerous
folk song and music sessions. We never know who will turn up at
these free open sessions but they are always very busy. We
provide local musicians to co-ordinate each session and festival
guests drop in to give a taste of what they will be doing in the
concerts. You can go along and take part or, of course, just
sit and listen and enjoy a glass of local beer or wine.
Events get underway with a special concert in the Town Hall on
Thursday evening featuring one of the best known names on the English
folk scene, Ashley Hutchings (founder of Albion Band, Fairport
Convention, Steeleye Span, etc.) with his musical partner Ken
Nicol. This is followed on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, by a
barn dance with Wyatts Cat, more concerts, workshops, chances to meet
the guests and various other special events. If you are
around on Friday why not check out the special Shanty Taster Session
at the Town Hall featuring festival guests and local singers.
On Saturday you may fancy hearing some of Kiplings poems set to
music, while on Sunday you could decide to listen to songs and
stories and the links between the oral folk tradition and literature
or every day there are concerts featuring a selection of festival
guests. You will be spoilt for choice!
All the details of these and many more events will be found in the
free souvenir programme which will be available from early
September. We are also expecting to launch a mobile App a
couple of weeks before the festival.
Full weekend tickets and single event tickets are available and
details can be found on the TFF website at www.tenterdenfolkfestival.org.uk.
Alternatively you can choose to pay on the door of the events you
want to go to.
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