Details announced of this year's 'Celebration of Sidmouth Folk Festival'

This year will see a 'celebration' of Sidmouth Folk Festival, with ticketed outdoor concerts and free daytime entertainment, as part of a Covid-secure version of the usual event.

It will run from Friday, July 30 until Friday, August 6, and will be centred on Blackmore Gardens, enabling people to gather outside with friends and once again enjoy live music.

Organisers say the aim is to offer everyone an authentic taste of the festival they know and love, while remaining vigilant around ongoing Covid-19 concerns and restrictions.

The line-up for the ticketed evening performances will include festival patrons Show of Hands, the Eliza Carthy Trio and Scottish folk band Talisk. Tickets for these evening shows will go on sale from May 24. More details of the full week's bill will be announced soon.

Blackmore Gardens will also be the venue for a host of free daytime entertainment for the whole family, including dance music, street theatre and special events, alongside a wide range of food and drink. The Ham lawn will also feature plenty of festive activity, with many of the usual catering and bar favourites and a variety of entertainment.

Following the success of last year's online festival, there will be a major web-based presence again in 2021, including live streaming from the town and plenty of workshops, with more details to be announced in late May.

Festival director John Braithwaite said: "We are looking forward to this special celebration, as we thank everyone who helped the festival survive last year's cancellation and to secure its future. All this year's festival activities will be run in line with existing Covid-19 guidance. All relevant precautions and health and safety measures will be taken to ensure people's comfort, and to maximise their enjoyment.2

Following the cancellation of last year's festival, a crowdfunding appeal was launched to recoup the money already spent preparing for the event before the Covid crisis hit. The initial target of £30,000 was smashed within a few hours and the campaign went on to raise more than £100,000.

This month there was a further boost when the festival was awarded £97,000 from the Government's Culture Recovery Fund.

John Braithwaite said: "Heartfelt thanks again to all who supported the Crowdfunding campaign. Some rewards will be redeemable this year, some will need to be deferred to 2022 and that option remains for all pledges.

"Please do join us in our beautiful seaside home in the first week of August to celebrate the ongoing future of The Sidmouth Folk Festival. And we look forward to returning in 2022 in grand style!"

Visit the festival's website for details of all 2021 ticket options. All 2020 tickets will be rolled forward (unless otherwise requested) to the Sidmouth Folk Festival 2022, including the pre-festival shows which will be Steeleye Span on Thursday evening, July 28, 2022 and The Fisherman's Friends on Friday afternoon, July 29, 2022.