Hartlepool Folk Festival has now ended. Please join us 18 - 20 September in Durham!
As we step into a new chapter, we’ve been reflecting on what the last ten years have meant to us — and to the community that helped shape this festival from the very beginning.
What started as a small grassroots idea grew into something much bigger thanks to volunteers, artists, families and partners who believed in the power of folk arts. In addition to bringing the finest folk music to Hartlepool, together we’ve created free family events, long-term projects in local schools, opportunities for young performers to share the stage, and access schemes that welcomed new audiences into the music we love. We thank Arts Council England who supported the festival from the very first event in 2015, and made so much of this possible.
In recent years, external funding from Tees Valley Combined Authority's Festival Scale-up Fund allowed us to support two small part-time coordination roles — specifically helping us expand education work and reach more people while keeping the same community spirit at the heart of everything. But the beating heart of the festival is its dedicated team of volunteers, who manage so many aspects of the festival. We're so delighted that they will be coming with us to Durham. Thank you all!
The move to Durham comes simply because our previous mainstage venue, Hartlepool Borough Hall, has closed indefinitely, but the ethos remains the same: the highest quality folk arts, meaningful local partnerships, and a festival that feels welcoming to everyone.
To everyone who has sung, danced, volunteered, performed, learned, laughed or simply listened with us over the past decade — thank you. We can’t wait to continue the journey with you.
Ten Years of Amazing Memories
our partners
