![The Furrow Collective will perform at the Maltings Arts Theatre in St Albans [Picture: Elly Lucas] <i>(Image: Archant)</i>](/resources/images/15531105.jpg?type=mds-article-962)
Award-winning performers will join a multitude of local talent at the St Albans Folk Festival over the Albantide weekend.
Folk dancers and musicians will be making their way to St Albans city centre on Saturday, June 24 for a day of music and dancing, culminating in a concert at 8pm at the Maltings Arts Theatre featuring The Furrow Collective, winners of the Best Group award in the BBC Radio Two Folk Awards.
A record 18 dance groups will be taking part in the Day of Dance in the city centre this year.
Seven of them – St Albans Morris, Wicket Brood Border Morris, Tappalachian, English Miscellany, Young Miscellany, Haughey-McAuley Irish dancers and an Indian group, the Purnagayan Dance Academy – are local.
The rest will be coming from surrounding area, plus Foggy Bottom Morris whose members are crossing the Atlantic from Washington DC.
The dancing will start at 10am outside The Alban Arena, after which there will be dancing in Christopher Place, Adelaide Street, Upper Dagnall Street and by the Clock Tower, with all the groups coming together outside the West Front of St Albans Cathedral at 3.50pm.
Local singers will join with others from further afield to give live showcase performances, starting at 11am in Waterstones bookshop, and then from 1pm in four pubs – The White Lion, The White Hart Tap, The Hare and Hounds and The Garibaldi.
For singers and musicians who want to join in, there will be informal singing and music sessions in The White Swan, The Goat Inn and the Courtyard Café.
The Ver Players will be leading another ukulele workshop in the Maltings Arts Theatre at 3pm, followed by a singing workshop with The Furrow Collective at 5pm.
Innovations this year are activities for children and young people.
Shooting Roots, the folk arts project run by and for young people, will be coming to the Maltings Arts Theatre to run a Funky World Band Taster workshop and a Give-it-a-go song workshop, aimed at young people aged 12 and 18.
Families with children are invited to join in folk dancing and games outside The Alban Arena from 12.45pm to 1.45pm and from 3.15pm to 4.15pm.
Headline guests in the St Albans Folk Festival Concert are The Furrow Collective, made up of Alasdair Roberts, Emily Portman, Lucy Farrell and Rachel Newton, who was also awarded Musician of the Year in this year’s Folk Awards.
They are four fine soloists sharing a mutual love of traditional songs from both sides of the English and Scottish borders, with playful, boundary-defying musicianship.
Since their critically acclaimed debut album At Our Next Meeting, The Furrow Collective has been in demand as a touring band, gigging throughout Europe and performing BBC live sessions. Their latest album, Wild Hog was released in November 2016.
Support comes from Alison and Jack – Alison Frosdick and Jack Burnaby – who won the Watford Folk Club 2016 songwriting competition with their track on the theme of crime and punishment.
New Roots 2017 finalist Bláthnaid McCullagh will also perform on the night.
Tickets cost £14, students £10, and can be bought in advance by booking online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/ovo, by phone on 0333 666 3366, in person at St Albans Central Library, in The Maltings, or on the door.
• ST ALBANS FOLK FESTIVAL TIMETABLE
SATURDAY, JUNE 24
DAY OF DANCE
with Wicket Brood, St Albans Morris, Young Miscellany, English Miscellany, Haughey-McAuley Irish dancers, Purnagayan Dance Academy, Queen’s Oak Border Morris, Chiltern Hundreds Morris, Red Cuthbert Morris, Hemlock Morris, Fenstanton Morris, Foggy Bottom Morris, New Moon Morris, Whitethorn Morris, Phoenix Morris.
10am-11am: Outside The Alban Arena.
11.15am to 11.55pm: Christopher Place, Clock Tower, Upper Dagnall Street and Adelaide Street.
12.05pm to 12.45pm: St Peter’s Street near Nationwide Building Society, Christopher Place, Clock Tower, Upper Dagnall Street and Adelaide Street.
2pm to 2.40pm: St Peter’s Street near Nationwide Building Society, Christopher Place, Clock Tower, Upper Dagnall Street and Adelaide Street.
2.50pm to 3.50pm: Outside the Abbey west door.
4pm: Dancing and music at The White Hart, Holywell Hill, and The White Hart Tap, Keyfield.
DAY OF MUSIC
• Waterstones bookshop, St Peter’s Street
11am to 4pm: Free performances of live music.
• The White Swan, 1 Upper Dagnall Street, St Albans.
Noon to 2pm: Traditional music session. An informal session of English, Irish and other folk and acoustic music. All welcome to listen or to play.
• The White Lion, 91 Sopwell Lane, St Albans.
1pm to 5pm: Free performances of live music.
• The White Hart Tap, 4 Keyfield, St Albans.
1pm to 5pm: Free performances of live music.
• The Garibaldi, 61 Albert Street, St Albans.
1pm to 5pm: Free performances of live music.
• The Hare and Hounds, 104 Sopwell Lane, St Albans.
1pm to 5pm: Free performances of live music.
• Courtyard Café, 11 Hatfield Road, St Albans.
3pm to 5pm: Singaround with compere Nick Male.
• The Goat Inn, 37 Sopwell Lane, St Albans.
3pm to 5pm: Old timey music session with Ellie and friends.
• Activities for children and young people.
Folk dancing and games for families with children.
12.45pm to 1.45pm and 3.15pm to 4.15pm: Outside The Alban Arena, Maltings Arts Theatre foyer if wet.
• Workshops and concert at the Maltings Arts Theatre, The Maltings, St Albans.
11.30am to 2pm: Shooting Roots workshops for young people.
11.30am to 12.30pm: Funky World Band Taster workshop.
1pm to 2pm: Give-it-a-go song workshop
3pm to 4pm: Ukelele workshop with the Ver Players, leader Steve Wragg. Collection, suggested donation £5.
5pm to 6pm: Singing workshop with The Furrow Collective. Collection, suggested donation £5.
8pm: Festival concert with The Furrow Collective plus Watford Folk Club songwriting competition winners Alison and Jack, and New Roots 2017 finalist Bláthnaid McCullagh.
Tickets for the festival concert are £14, students £10.
• SUNDAY, JUNE 25
• The Mermaid, 98 Hatfield Road, St Albans.
Noon to 2pm: Traditional music session. An informal session of English, Irish and other folk and acoustic music. All welcome to listen or to play.
2pm-4pm: Singaround.
• The Great Northern, 172 London Road, St Albans.
6pm to 9pm: Traditional music session. An informal session of English, Irish and other folk and acoustic music. All welcome to listen or to play.
FRIDAY FOLK SOCIAL DANCE CLUB
• FRIDAY, JUNE 23
The Church Hall, Marlborough Road, St Albans.
7.45pm to 10pm: New members evening. All welcome.
• SATURDAY, JUNE 24
Samuel Ryder Academy, Drakes Drive, St Albans.
7.30pm to 11pm: Saturday Special. Dance with Geoff Cubitt calling and music from Mollie Koenigsberger and Alison Ellacott.
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