Festival News
Buffalo Bill comes to Town
In the 1800s and early 1900s, Buffalo Bill brought his spectacular Wild West Show to many towns across the UK, including Ely! Supported by the Arts Council England, renowned songwriter, John Ward, has written Congress, a new piece inspired by this forgotten piece of...
Help us secure the future of the festival
We think Ely Folk Festival is a special event and after a challenging few years, we want to ensure it will continue to run for many more years. We have launched a crowdfunding appeal to help us do this and we would ask that you check it out and if you can, make a...
Enter our competitions
Follow in the footsteps of previous winners such as This Circus Life & Melody Causton & win an opportunity to open Ely Folk Festival 2022 by performing on the main stage. Get your entries in for our 2022 Festival Band Competition - closing date 30th April....
Get stuck in!
Try your feet at step dancing; sing some shanties; improve your whistle technique; chill out with some yoga; build your confidence in taking part in sessions; or listen to some of the musicians appearing at the festival talking about what inspires them in an informal...
Festival support for Ely Foodbank
Ely Folk Festival selects a local charity to support each year and the fabulous morris dance sides who perform at the festival collect contributions on behalf of the chosen charity when they perform in Ely city centre over the festival weekend. This year we are proud...
Lizzy Hardingham
It's always great to see a young talented performer on stage at Ely Folk Festival. Lizzy Hardingham certainly has youth on her side and her powerful yet pure voice twinned with impressive songwriting skills make her a force to be reckoned with. Lizzy will perform on...
Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys
We're delighted to add Sam Kelly & The Lost Boys to our Sunday evening line-up. Sam's passion for discovering and rekindling the sounds of his musical heritage has gained him the respect of peers and audiences worldwide. Already known for touring as a trio with...
Dance the nights away
After a hiatus in 2021 due to covid rules, we are delighted to reinstate our trio of ceilidhs across the festival weekend. The legendary Steamchicken ceilidh band will bring cross-genre mayhem, punchy, danceable tunes, and jazzy horns to the Friday night late...
Saturday night heroes
The Vagaband have taken their brand of roots rock and Celtic soul across the UK & Europe for the last 15 years. Playing bars, street corners and house concerts and eventually honing their craft as festival headliners. With a rotating line up of...
Sharon Shannon Trio to top festival bill
We are truly delighted this year to welcome the fantastic Sharon Shannon to Ely Folk Festival. Sharon has recorded and toured with a who's who of the Irish and Global Music Industry, including Bono, Adam Clayton, Sinead O’Connor, Jackson Browne, John Prine, Steve...