Shrewsbury Folk Festival has made its first major line-up announcement for 2021 after managing to secure the majority of its performers from this year’s festival that was postponed due to coronavirus.
American folk legend, Judy Collins, globally acclaimed Galician piper Carlos Núñez, Lindisfarne, Show of Hands, Oysterband, The Lost Words: Spell Songs with Karine Polwart, Julie Fowlis, Seckou Keita, Kris Drever, Rachel Newton, Beth Porter, Jim Molyneux and illustrator Jackie Morris, Canadian folk rockers Blackie and the Rodeo Kings and The Young’uns are among the first names to be announced.
Also signed up so far are Stephen Fearing and The Sentimentals, the Seckou Keita Quartet, Moonlight Benjamin, Welsh super group Pendevig, sitar maestro Sheema Mukherjee (Imagined Village, Transglobal Underground), Zimbabwean group Black Umfolosi, American duo Truckstop Honeymoon, Colin Linden, Calan, The John Martyn Project – a musical tribute to the legendary singer songwriter and guitarist, The Trials of Cato, FOS Brothers, Kabantu, Will Pound’s A Day Will Come, Sisters of Elva Hill folk ballet, The Jellyman’s Daughter, The Boxwood Chessmen, SherburnBartleySanders, Benji Kirkpatrick & The Excess, Sheelanagig, Tom Wilson, and Yorkston Thorne Khan.
Tickets are already on sale for 2021 with music fans warned to book well in advance to secure their tickets for the four-day festival from August 27 to 30 at the West Mid Showground in Shrewsbury.
The festival was awarded £93,000 as part of the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund to help with the on-going running costs as it plans its 2021 event and to implement any necessary measures to ensure the safety of festivalgoers next year.
Festival Director Sandra Surtees said: “Being able to reveal such an exciting line-up for 2021 is a huge milestone for us in what has been a very challenging year. It’s giving us positivity for the future and something to look forward to. As ever, there’s something for everyone including household names like Judy Collins and Lindisfarne, alongside top folk and roots acts from the UK and some brilliant world musicians too.
“We’re making plans to deliver a covid-secure event where our festival family can enjoy the same fabulous Shrewsbury atmosphere and be safe. It’s too early to predict what, if any, changes may be necessary, but the size and flexibility of our site gives us lots of options.” Tickets can be booked at www.shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk/booktickets/