Family folk festival

Hartlepool

Sing - Make - Listen - Craft - Dance

In 2021, when we were unable to run the full folk festival due to the pandemic, we decided to try something new: with support from Arts Council England and Tees Valley Combined Authority, we launched a completely free, mostly outdoor-based one-day family folk festival. The event was a massive success, attracting local audiences who tried lots of new activities, enjoyed fantastic music, and took part in a spectacular twilight fire procession to the sea. 

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We're delighted to bring the family festival back for 2022, this time over two days. Added to our fantastic main site at the Historic Quayside, Hartlepool has become one of the most family-friendly folk festivals anywhere!   

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Details about this year's programme will be available soon - meanwhile, have a look at what we got up to last year...

2022 programme coming soon!

In 2021 our featured artists and facilitators included Let's Circus, Apollo Arts, Melrose Quartet, the Wilsons, She Shanties, Jim Boyle and Dave Gray, Kingsmen Clog, Step This Way Appalachian dancers, Travisty and Jacqueline Hyde, Ade the Festival Fairy and the Bear Ladies.Visitors could have a go at percussion, clog dancing, juggling, building a giant teddy, making a sea creature to take home, needle felting a whale, singing sea shanties...or just pull up a deckchair and enjoy lots of great entertainment.

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Everyone would agree that the show-stopper of the day was Eko the Sea Giant, brought to us by Autin Dance Theatre. Eko had a wonderful day meeting new friends, performing with his friend Violet, and then processing through the streets with music and fire provided by Let's Circus before we returned him to the sea.