Tenterden Folk Festival
Thursday 5th to Sunday 8th October 2023
The 30th Tenterden Folk Festival
Tenterden Folk Festival. Four days of folk song, music, dance, crafts and traditions.
This year your festival starts on Thursday evening with the regular Around Kent Folk sponsored concert. This is the only event not covered by the Full Weekend Tickets and features Pete Coe and Sound Tradition.
The festival continues until late Sunday night with concerts, music and song sessions, workshops, English Barn Dance and many other events. We have several guests making their first appearances at Tenterden this year including Brown Boots, Ceol Na Mara and Sound Tradition. Other guests have been with us before and are back by popular demand.
PROGRAMME
THURSDAY
12.00 - 18.00 Festival office, box office and information EC30, Recreation Ground Road
19.30 - 22.30 Thursday evening concert supported by Around Kent Folk Pete Coe and Sound Tradition. Compere Sue Watson. Tenterden Club, tickets £16
FRIDAY
10.00 - 18.00 Festival office, box office and information EC30, Recreation Ground Road
10.00 - 16.00 Exhibition - A special exhibition to celebrate 30 years of Tenterden Folk Festival Museum
10.30 - 12.00 Meet the guests Drywood, Glebe Hall, £6
10.30 - 11.30 Meet the guests Sound Tradition, White Lion Saddlery, £6
11.00 - 12.30 Around England for a Song Morrigan, Tenterden Club, £6
12.00 - 15.00 Lunchtime song and music session John & Di Cullen and friends welcome floor singers and musicians. White Lion Saddlery, Free event
12.30 - 15.00 Mainly music session Dick Miles invites you to bring your instruments and tunes, Woolpack Barn, Free event
13.00 - 14.30 Meet the guests Discovery (Jeff and Elaine Gillett), Tenterden Museum, Free event
12.30 - 14.00 Meet the guests Rattlebag, Glebe Hall, £6
14.00 - 17.00 Friday afternoon concert Brown Boots, Drywood, Pete Coe, Milton Hide, Tenterden Club, A £12 U £6
15.00 - 16.30 Meet the guests Portside, White Lion Saddlery, £6
15.00 - 16.00 This Ancient Boro’ Showcase Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham, This Ancient Boro, Free event
15.30 - 16.30 Music and songs in the Museum Dick Miles and Sheila Park Museum, Free event
15.30 - 17.00 My Friend Stan: The life and times of Stan Hugill Shantyman, sailor, writer, artist Chris Roche, White Lion Saddlery, £6
17.30 - 19.00 90 minutes or so with... Sue Watson, Bob Kenward, John & Di Cullen, Glebe Hall, £6
19.30 - 23.00 English Barn Dance Swing the Bridge with caller Pete Coe. Plus a Morris side, Tenterden Club, A £12 U £6 T
19.30 - 23.00 Friday evening concert Discovery, Drywood, Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham, Sheila Park, Sound Tradition. St Mildred's Church, A £12 U £6
19.30 - 22.45 Mainly music session Brown Boots invite you along to play some good old folk tunes with guest spots from Milton Hide. This Ancient Boro, Free event
20.00 - 23.00 Evening song and music session Bob Kenward, Roger Resch and friends welcome floor singers
and musicians and festival guests. White Lion Saddlery, Free event
20.00 - 23.00 The Brewery song and music sessions Come all ye, Old Dairy Taproom, Free event
SATURDAY
09.00 - 18.00 Festival office, box office and information EC30, Recreation Ground Road
10.00 - 18.00 Craft fair, music stalls and many other stalls
https://www.mytenterden.co.uk/events/tenterden-folk-festival-craft-fair-listing-215-117205.aspx / Free Music and Dance Stages, Tenterden Recreation Ground
https://www.mytenterden.co.uk/events/free-music-stage-tenterden-folk-festival-listing-1654-119335.aspx
10.00 - 17.00 First aid post Outside Town Hall
10.00 - 16.00 Exhibition - A special exhibition to celebrate 30 years of Tenterden Folk Festival Museum Donation
10.30 - 12.00 Music hall and 78s Desert Island Discs show Mary Hollis (Bring your unusual 78 rpm records for Mary to play). Tenterden Museum, Free event
10.30 - 12.30 Traditional music class - open to any instrument and any level Gavin Atkin, Glebe Hall, £6
10.30 - 11.30 The life and songs of Harry Cox, Sheila Park, White Lion Saddlery, £6
11.30 - 14.30 Mainly tunes session, Jerry Crossley plus spots from Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham, Woolpack Barn, Free event
12.00 - 15.00 Lunchtime sing-a-round and music session Bob Kenward leads this open session with floor singers and spots from festival guests including. White Lion Saddlery, Free
12.00 - 15.00 Saturday afternoon concert Brown Boots, Dick Miles, Mick Ryan & Paul Downes, Sheila Park, Tenterden Club, A £12 U £6 T
13.30 - 15.00 Scan Tester - an audio visual show Vic and Tina Smith, Glebe Hall, £6
13.30 - 14.15 Meet the students from Wyvern School Chris & Ros from Morrigan introduce the kids from Wyvern School, Recreation Ground Dance stage, Free event
15.00 - 16.00 Festival procession Procession from the War Memorial in the High Street to The Marquees on the Recreation Ground
16.00 - 17.50 Strings & Things (banjo, bouzouki, dulcimer) Pete Coe, White Lion Saddlery £6
16.00 - 17.00 This Ancient Boro’ Showcase Sound Tradition, This Ancient Boro, Free
16.00 - 16.30 Music and songs in the Museum John & Di Cullen, Tenterden Museum, Free
16.00 - 18.00 Part playing for concertina and other melody instruments Spare Parts. You can send for the music in advance if you’d like a chance to try it out at home, Glebe Hall, £6
17.00 - 20.00 Cinque Ports Sea songs and shanties (Dedicated to Malcolm Ward and sponsored by White Horse Financial Services) Chris Roche, Dick Miles, Drywood, Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham, Morrigan, Portside, Steve Turner, Tenterden Club, A £12 U £6
19.30 - 23.00 The Brewery song, music and dance sessions Brixton Tatterjacks and friends Old Dairy Taproom, Free event
19.30 - 23.00 Saturday evening concert Mick Ryan & Paul Downes, Pete Coe, Sound Tradition, Steve Turner, St Mildred's Church Hall, A £12 U £6
19.30 - 22.45 Celtic music session Ceol Na Mara (Emma Clarke and Jim Richards) invite you to come along and join in, This Ancient Boro, Free event
19.30 - 23.00 Song and music session John & Di Cullen welcome floor singers and guests Morrigan, White Lion Saddlery Free
20.00 - 22.00 Meet and dance with Morena Morena Slovak Dancers, Woolpack Barn, Free
20.00 - 23.00 Band showcase Foot Down play a couple of evening sets), The Vine, Free
SUNDAY
09.00 - 18.00 Festival office, box office and information EC30
10.00 - 17.00 Craft fair, music stalls and many other stalls
https://www.mytenterden.co.uk/events/tenterden-folk-festival-craft-fair-listing-215-117205.aspx / Free Music and Dance Stages, Tenterden Recreation Ground
https://www.mytenterden.co.uk/events/free-music-stage-tenterden-folk-festival-listing-1654-119335.aspx
10.00 - 17.00 First aid post outside Town Hall
10.30 - 13.00 Squeeze boxes - they are not all the same Dick Miles, Drywood, Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham, Pete Coe, Pip Ives, Steve Turner, Glebe Hall, £6
10.30 - 12.00 Meet the guests Cathy Barclay & Sarah Yarwood, White Lion Saddlery, £6
11.00 - 13.00 Two hours or so with... Discovery, Erin Mansfield, , Mick Ryan & Paul Downes,
Rattlebag, Tenterden Club, A £12 U £6
12.00 - 14.30 Lunchtime sing-a-round and music session John & Di Cullen invite you to this session with spots from Steve Turner. Woolpack Barn, Free
11.45 - 15.00 Travelling Folk music and song session Travelling Folk and friends - invite you to join them for some music and songs, The Vine Inn, Free
12.30 - 15.00 Mainly music session Gavin & Julie Atkin invite you to this open session for
musicians and festival guest Pip Ives, White Lion Saddlery, Free event
13.00 - 16.00 Exhibition A special exhibition to celebrate 30 years of Tenterden Folk
Festival, Tenterden Museum
13.30 - 14.30 Meet the guests Dick Miles, Glebe Hall, £6
15.00 - 17.00 John Short - Shantyman Drywood, Keith Kendrick & Sylvia Needham and Moose Rosser, Tenterden Club, A £12 U £6
15.00 - 16.00 Whistles workshop Erin Mansfield, Glebe Hall, £6
15.00 - 16.30 Folk Orchestras at St Mildred’s Yardarm Folk Orchestra, St Mildred's Church £6
15.30 - 17.00 Singing With Melodeon Pete Coe, White Lion Saddlery, £6
15.30 - 16.00 Music and songs in the Museum Vic & Tine Smith, Tenterden Museum, Free
16.00 - 17.00 This Ancient Boro’ Showcase Julie and Gavin Atkin, This Ancient Boro, Free
16.30 - 18.00 Song accompaniment Dick Miles, Glebe Hall, £6
17.30 - 19.00 Meet the guests Milton Hide, White Lion Saddlery, £6
18.00 - 21.30 The Final Concert Cathy Barclay & Sarah Yarwood, Mick Ryan & Paul Downes, Pete Coe, Sound Tradition, Steve Turner, Tenterden Club A £12 U £6
20.00 - 23.00 The Brewery song and music sessions Various Morris musicians and friends Old Dairy Taproom, Free
20.00 - 22.45 Mainly music session Spare Parts and friends invite you along to join in tunes, This Ancient Boro, Free
20.00 - 23.00 The final evening song and music session Join Bob Kenward, Roger Resch and many other floor singers for the final session of song and music with festival guests White Lion Saddlery, Free
Dance displays: The Festival continues to attract Morris sides and dance display teams from across the country including regular teams and new ones. They will all take to the town centre streets on Saturday and Sunday, together with other street entertainers. Dance styles will include Cotswold, Border, Molly, Clog and Garland, as well as Appalachian, Bulgarian, Slovakian and a few surprises.
The popular procession on Saturday will, weather permitting, start from near the War Memorial in the High Street at 3:00 p.m. The procession continues through the town centre to finish on the Recreation Ground by the marquees. There will be a dance stage in the main marquee where appropriate teams will dance to entertain stallholders and visitors on Saturday and Sunday.
Concerts and Folk Clubs: Concerts featuring Festival guests start on Thursday evening and continue throughout the Festival. This year concert venues include the Tenterden Club, St Mildred's Church Hall and St. Mildred’s Church. Check the programme to locate all the venues.
Song and music sessions: The numerous friendly and informal sing-a-rounds and song and music sessions are, for many, one of the highlights of the Festival. These sessions will take place every day in various pubs and gardens, so there is sure to be one that suits your taste or mood. You can come along to the sessions and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere even if you do not want to sing or play.
Workshops and meet the guest sessions: The Festival also offers the opportunity to attend other events which may offer the chance to participate, ask a few questions or just sit and listen. There are also many informal talks on folk related topics.
Venues and public houses: Venues include St Mildred's Church Hall, Recreation Ground, High Street, Tenterden Club, St Mildred’s Church and the Glebe Hall. Events also take place in The Vine, White Lion Saddlery, Woolpack, This Ancient Boro and in the Taproom at the Old Dairy.
Music Stage: You will find the music stage on The Recreation Ground on Saturday and Sunday. It offers a free taste of what a folk festival is all about! Saturday and Sunday 10.30 to 18.00
Dance Stage: The dance stage will be in the craft marquee so you can visit all the stalls and watch the dancers. Open on Saturday and Sunday
History of the Tenterden Folk Festival
The first “Tenterden Folk Day” took place on Saturday 2nd October 1993 and, according to the programme, there were 15 billed guests, 13 Morris sides and 18 events. The guests included some familiar names such as Band of Two, Pete Castle, Lucy Castle, Keith Kendrick, Jez Lowe, Bing Lyle and Tonbridge Mummers, as well as some less familiar names including “Lo! & Behold” which was a one off collaboration between Jez, Pete, Lucy and Bing especially for the event. The dance sides listed are all well known teams who we mainly still see at Tenterden, including Bishop Gundulf, East Kent Morris, Kits Coty Morris, Maenads and of course the host side Woodchurch Morris. The craft fair was an important part of the programme from the beginning and in 1993 it took place in the Junior and Infant School Halls and was organised by Linda Robards from Ashford Library. The other Committee members are listed in the programme as Alan Castle who is still there 30 years on, Christina Bax (now Fuller) from Ashford Borough Council, Keith Rundell from Kent Arts and Libraries, Dave Grabham founder of Woodchurch Morris was the dance co-ordinator and the late Anne Thomas who remained closely involved until her sad death in 2011. Sponsors of that first folk day are listed as Ashford Borough Council, Kent County Council, Tenterden Chamber of Commerce and Folk Spots and the support of Tenterden Town Council and Woodchurch Morris is also noted. The venues for sing-a-rounds were the Vine and the Eight Bells with the evening concert taking place in the upstairs room of the Eight Bells, which we still miss.
Now 30 years on, Tenterden Folk Festival runs for four days from Thursday to Sunday and includes over 50 events, 15 venues, up to 40 Morris sides, a huge marquee containing the craft fair and stalls, a free music stage, dance stage, over 50 guests, campsite and events for all the family.
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