Dance and performance at Sidmouth Folk Festival on Saturday

Elsewhere, however, it was business as usual – or, more accurately, unusual – as the week-long celebration of everything folk hit the ground running. And while music is at the heart of the festival – with more than 800 events over 30 venues across the town – there was a lot more to enjoy, with audiences embarking on a journey from the ridiculous to the sublime via all points in between.

King of the ridiculous Matthew Crampton began the day at the Arts Centre with “Have a Banana!”, an hilarious exploration of British music-hall traditions that also provided some fascinating insights into the reasons we love to sing together, the secrets of a successful song – and the enduring appeal of the banana... with plenty of participation, of course!

Elsewhere, around the town and at the Blackmore Gardens' Dance Spectacular, displays of weird and wonderful dance traditions from the UK and further afield were delighting enthusiastic audiences.

Perhaps the most familiar of the British traditions is the athletic Cotswold Morris style, characterized by its vigorous leaps, jigs and stick play. Appearing at Sidmouth this year, Bampton Traditional Morris from Oxfordshire claim an unbroken tradition of over 400 years, making them the oldest-established side in the UK. Once a male preserve, there are now mixed and all-women Cotswold sides, represented at Sidmouth in 2023 by, among others, the American/Canadian Compass Roses and Pecsaetan Morris from Sheffield.

More typical of the North East, however, are the Longsword and Rapper traditions – clog dancing styles where dancers use steel swords to execute complex figures. These sword dances, closely linked to mining communities, were represented at Sidmouth this year by both men's and women's sides, including Yorkshire's Handsworth Traditional Sword Dancers and Northgate Rapper from Bath.

Another clog dancing tradition, associated with the textile industry of North West England, is distinguished by the dancers' use of garlands and textile bobbins decorated with bells and ribbons. Among the North Western sides performing at the Blackmore were Chiltern Hundreds Clog Morris and Chinewrde Morris Dancers.

In recent years many more dance styles have become more popular in the UK. These include the revived Border Morris style, recognizable from the dancers' tattered outfits, and represented at the Blackmore by the irrepressible Shropshire Bedlams. Overseas styles such as Appalachian stepping have been adopted by teams including Aurora Appalachian.

But by far the most exotic and powerful performance of the day came from the Tibetan monks of Tashi Lhunpo Monastery. Their presentation at the Methodist Church comprised extracts from the ancient and sacred rituals of Tibetan Buddhism.

It went far beyond performance, using music, dance, colourful costumes, gesture and sound to allow the audience a privileged glimpse of another world view. Entitled “The Power of Compassion”, the performance began with the evocative sound of horns and drums, followed by an affirmation of faith.

This was followed by a series of prayers, meditations, debates and dances, all aimed at the overcoming of ego and cultivation of compassion, ending with a dedication. It was a mesmerizing experience, and one that left those present awestruck and deeply moved.