We are so pleased to be back on 3-5 May 2024 for the 8th Todmorden Folk Festival. We’ve always recognised that folk is a broad term encompassing many musical forms and this year we are proud to bring another eclectic and exciting mix of music, dance, workshops and children's activities to Todmorden.

To kick the weekend off with a bang, ceilidh band Monkey Box will raise the roof of Todmorden College to get you dancing a jig or two. Or if you’d prefer, over at St Mary’s Church we’ll be treated to an incredible opening concert featuring Leeds trio Kinaara performing a mixture of Punjabi folk, original compositions, English and Celtic epics and Indian classical folk rock. All this followed by Dan Walsh, one of the UK’s leading lights in melodic clawhammer banjo.

Saturday is packed with musical delights, workshops and children’s activities. Our afternoon concert at the Central Methodist Church features a varied lineup including contemporary folk duo Gilmore and Roberts, and ‘Gypsy Jazz’ folk band and local legends, The Hot Club of Halifax. Then, our evening concert at the atmospheric Unitarian Church is headlined by the beautiful vocal harmonies and multi-instrumentalist talents of Lady Maisery. They will be followed by the raucous, foot-stomping sounds of Bonfire Radicals to bring our Saturday night to an unforgettable close.

Then once you’ve polished off your Sunday brunch in one of our towns fantastic eateries, get along to our canal-side open-air stage in Oxford Street car park where you’ll find a varied lineup of singer-songwriters, carnival bands, Morris dancing and fantastic food and drink stalls. Or pop to St Mary’s Church from 3.30pm where we have festival favourites the She Shanties, and one of the most exciting acts on the alt-folk scene, Jacob & Drinkwater, performing.

As you weave from venue to venue over the weekend, watch out for the fantastic array of dance teams that will be performing around the town and don’t forget to explore the craft fair at the Central Methodist Church along with our fabulous Festival Café. We also have an eclectic mix of workshops to entice you, including Morris dancing, and a concert and sing-along exploring the songs of Cyril Tawney on Saturday; as well as guitar workshops led by Pennine Guitars on Sunday. For any little ones that might need entertaining there will be a mixture of children’s activities around Pollination Street during the day on Saturday, whilst Hebden Bridge Les Panards Dansants will be playing traditional French and Breton music on Pollination Street during the afternoon on Sunday.