About

The ever-popular annual Scilly Folk Festival. A long weekend of music, song and dance is in store, featuring some of the best folk music from Scilly and the South West. The Festival will take place from Thursday 25th May to Tuesday 30th May 2023.

The programme includes:

Thursday 25th May

The Scillonian Club Welcome Session - St. Mary's  8pm

Friday 26th May 

Blue Badgers - Church Hall - St. Mary's 8pm

Based in Bristol UK, The Blue Badgers have, for 20 years been playing lively roots based music, genre hopping from Celtic songs to Hillbilly Truck Driving music and Irish Folk to Eastern European tunes via Tango, Blues and Americana! 

Heartfelt vocal harmonies accompany fiddle, accordion, guitar, harmonica, bass and percussion with occasional sax, mandolin, high and low D whistles and piano. Not to be missed! Tickets / cost TBC. 

 

Saturday 27th May

The Turk's Head Session - St. Agnes 12ish

Barn Dance - Church Hall - St. Mary's

With caller Richard Penny and local band the Barnacles playing the tunes. Extremely family friendly event, expert and novice barn dancers very welcome.

8pm

Adults £8 Under 16 £4

 

Sunday 28th May

The New Inn Session - Tresco 12ish

 

Monday 29th May

The Sevenstones Inn Session - St. Martin's - 12ish

Full of Noises - Church Hall - St. Mary's 8pm - £10

Island musician Piers Lewin (whistle/woodwind) first met John Elliott (Guitar/vocals) when he was washing pots at the Turk's Head many years ago.  Since that auspicious beginning, the duo Full of Noises (alongside the Rough Island Band, of which Piers and John form half) has been engaged on a quest to set the Isles of Scilly to music. With no surviving indigenous musical culture, the challenge is always to create a soundworld of original material that reflects the truth of the place and its people.

Five full-length albums later, the musical result is a tasty mixture of upbeat Celtic-tinged tunes. songs that tell the extraordinary emotional stories of an island people and contemplative soundscapes that aim to capture the extreme beauty of the islands.  The hope has always been that, if you close your eyes for a moment while listening, you will be instantly transported to Scilly.

 

Tuesday 30th May

The Mermaid Inn Farewell Session - St. Mary's 12ish

*Tickets can be purchased on the door or at the Tourist Information Centre on St. Mary’s. Sessions are all free but donations gratefully received.