The main stage headliners and two pre-festival concerts have been announced for the 2022 Sidmouth Folk Festival, due to take place from Friday, July 29 until Friday, August 5.

The evening shows in the main Ham venue will include England’s most popular female folk singer Kate Rusby, celebrated Scottish singer songwriter Eddi Reader, Devon folk heroes and festival patrons Show of Hands, Aussie harmony singers The Spooky Men’s Chorale, fiddle and melodeon giants Spiers and Boden, Canadian roots trio The East Pointers, rocking Quebecois outfit Yves Lambert Trio, plus young guns Granny’s Attic with outstanding British singer songwriter Jez Lowe.

There will be pre-festival shows from folk legends Steeleye Span on Thursday, July 28 and The Fisherman’s Friends on the afternoon of Friday 29.

The Bulverton is due to make a comeback at the top of the town, providing a venue for ceilidhs, evening roots shows, food and drink, and after-hours fun and relaxation. Highlights include Scottish funk dub folksters Peatbog Faeries, plus ska and squeezebox maestros Edward II, young balladeer Grace Petrie and grooving European-style folk arrangements from Sheelanagig.

Tickets for all individual headline shows, as well as all-week and weekend season tickets, are on sale now from the festival's website.

Last year the festival switched to an online programme in response to the Covid pandemic, and this year there was a scaled-back festival with ticket-only outdoor concerts in the evenings as well as virtual events. However, there was plenty of daytime entertainment in the town centre and along the seafront.

Organisers are planning for the 2022 festival to be ‘firing on all cylinders’ with hundreds of individual events. To keep everyone safe, there will be well-ventilated indoor venues, plenty of fresh air activities and a flexible attitude to accommodate any current Covid guidance.

There will also be a wide range of workshops with highly experienced teachers, musicians and dance leaders. Also back for 2022 will be the Children’s Festival, the Youth Festival, the Morris dance displays and dance sessions in Blackmore Gardens.
There will also be storytelling, family entertainment and youth-centred sessions, along with a craft market and plenty of stalls selling food and drink.