Media release: Stonehaven event hosts some great names next month

NEXT month some of the great names of Scottish and Irish music and song will be gathering in Stonehaven.

They will be part in the 31^st Stonehaven Folk Festival – a weekend of concerts, sessions, workshops, singarounds and fun – taking place 11-14 July 2019.

The festival kicks off on the Thursday night with a big welcoming session held in the Town Hall, a chance to meet old friends and make some new ones. It then really gets going on the Friday night with an opening concert in the Town Hall featuring Hannah Rarity and Dervish, sessions in bars around town, a late night concert and singarounds.

On Saturday, the day kicks off with workshops in the Community Centre, then a free concert in the Market Square featuring festival guests and local artists. In the afternoon Danny Couper hosts a singaround and there’s a children’s show suitable for the whole family. A regular highlight of the festival for many is the World Paper’n’Comb Championship, which is always entertaining. The day finishes up with the Town Hall evening concert featuring Dowally, Malinky and Breabach, followed by a late concert and singaround.

Sunday starts off with a splash with the Aqua Ceilidh, held in Stonehaven’s Art Deco open air pool. Dancing to a live ceilidh band playing for old favourites, ‘Drip the Willow’, ‘Splashing White Sergeant’ and more.

There are workshops and concert in the Market Square in the afternoon and a special ‘Tradition Bearers’ concert featuring some of the best singers in the country. This is followed by the Chorus Cup – a light-hearted competition to find the best chorus singer and song.

Things wind down in the evening with the farewell concert in the Town Hall featuring the Steph Geremia Trio, Gnoss and Duncan Chisholm, usually followed by a session in a local bar.

Tickets are on sale now along with full details on the festival website: www.stonehavenfolkfestival.co.uk

ENDS

Notes to editors

Media contact: Charlie West info@stonehavenfolkfestival.co.uk

Stonehaven Folk Festival (or ‘Stoney’) was established in 1989 and has gone from strength to strength ever since, attracting 2,500 attendees last year. The organisations purpose is to promote and provide education relating to traditional and contemporary folk music and culture in all its forms.

We aim to promote an appreciation of folk music by encouraging participation in, and attendance at, the festival and other events that take place throughout the year.

By doing so we hope to encourage and develop new talent, thus preserving ‘folk music’ into the future.

SFF is a registered charity in Scotland and is organised and run by volunteers. The charity’s management committee also forms the backbone of the organising committee with sub groups for discreet activities that can co-opt members as the need and availability arises.

SFF is rightly proud of the commitment and variety of skills that volunteers have brought to festival over the years which has resulted in a hugely successful, ‘family friendly’ festival

Last year’s festival saw 288 musicians taking part in what has since been officially certified as the ‘World’s Largest Ceilidh Band’ – along with 22 dancers, three witnesses and over 25 volunteers.

There is a Caravan and Motorhome Club site in Stonehaven, this is extremely popular and needs to be booked well in advance. There is also a temporary festival campsite run over the weekend of the festival, this is managed by the Stonehaven Men’s Shed. They promise they will be back with even better breakfasts for 2019.

MEDIA RELEASE issued by TMSA. You too can share your stories (aka press or media releases), on this site. Email here for more information.

Contact: Fiona Campbell

Email: office@tmsa.org.uk
Website: http://www.tmsa.org.uk