The Festival’s Saturday afternoon and evening in the Park – full of activity and entertainment including the Gala Concert and the Saturday Folk Festival!
A procession of Keynsham owned vintage and classic cars – through the High Street and into the Park for a mini rally.
Displays of traditional and folk dancing on Market Walk and in the Park on our new Dance Stage – including Morris, Clog and historical: including 15th century dance of the type enjoyed by Sir Jasper Tudor before he was laid to rest in Keynsham Abbey – just behind the Abbey Stage!
Folk and Acoustic performers playing all afternoon and late into the evening on the Abbey Stage which will this year rely on your kind donations – look out for some big local names and quality music, and later on, dancing with FolkLaw.
…and a Festival bar and hot food on site. And a large selection of locally produced fresh and organic food as we host a possible rebirth of the Keynsham Food Festival in The Park.
The Food Extravaganza
| Saturday 30th July | 11.00am | The Park |
Whats this? A Farmers Market in the Park? Keynsham Music Festival is partnering the Keynsham Food Festival, absent from town for two years now …..
Vintage and Classic Cars
Combustion engines - water and air cooled | Saturday 30th July | 12.00pm | The Park |
Brought to this year’s Festival by the kind sponsorship of Davies and Way
Liberty Rocks Arts presents the debut performance of their new show Arc onboard the Marie Celestia – a machine that is a mechanical play space, stage set, aerial circus rig and flame thrower. The cabin is full of curiosities and children are invited to sit in the captain’s chair! It was built by a community cooperative project which trained young people in metalworking. This is a flagship project by local artists Ruby Jennings and Juliet Webb.
Arc is an intergalactic detective story, which takes place throughout space and time. A strange and otherworldly culture of people from a destroyed planet are lost in space and looking for a safe place to call home. They have travelled so far and so long onboard a sentient ship, encountering all sorts of mysterious perils and now they have arrived here. Suitable for all ages, rolling performances and family activities bring the ship to life.
The Marie Celestial will also play a part after the Twinning Dance on the Friday night.
On the Saturday, it 
will be a static art piece to play on. On the Sunday, it will provide rolling interactive performances. Liberty Arts will also have the Stegasaurus with a couple of storytelling actors – which will be mobile around the Park on the Sunday.
Performers Dance & Musical School (P.D.M.S.L)
Dance-Music-Theatre | Saturday 30th July | 1.15pm | The Park Saturday Dance stage |
PDMSL are a professional Performance Dance Crew with members aged 4-adult. The company has been based throughout Bristol and Bath for over 11 years. Dancers attend classes in Hip Hop, Contemporary, Musical Theatre, Jazz and Street Dance. PDMSL perform all over the UK and Europe from events such as Stages at the Colston Hall, Pride, Streetfest, Dance Make your move, Bath Carnival and and are busily preparing for their return Performance in October at Disneyland Paris as part of the parks 25th Birthday celebrations.
This is PDMSL 4th year performing at Keynsham Festival and all the dancers and families love being involved in such an amazing event.
Website: www.performersdance.co.uk
Twit
a new Keynsham face at The festival …..
LarC be playing songs from her new EP
see also: Sunday 4pm
At just 15 years old Isabella Alford is already making a name for herself on the local music scene. Her strong songwriting and great voice makes her very worth keeping an eye on in the future. Isabella is working with Jelli Records recording her debt EP to be released this summer.
Historic dance, as danced in 15th and 16th century – just as those folks from Keynsham Abbey indulged themselves in … maybe even our own Jaspar Tudor in his final days …..
The farandole was first described in detail by the English folklorist Violet Alford in 1932.description is Traditionally led by the abbat-mage holding a ribboned halberd, the dancers hold hands and skip at every beat; strong beats on one foot, alternating left and right, with the other foot in the air, and weak beats with both feet together.
The strong Keynsham and Saltford group will delighted to invite the audience to have a go after their performance. Its a must!
Having sat under a tree and entertained all afternoon at The Festival of Nature a couple of weeks ago we thought this lively trio might like to have a shot with us ……
A compulsive performer, here Shuwanfey warms up for her performance later in The Park this afternoon
Somerset Morris is a group of female dancers, who dance Cotswold Morris (sticks and hankies) as well as dances from our local area known as stave dances. The stave dances originate from the Friendly Societies based in local villages and were at their most active during the 19th century. The information on the dances they performed was discovered in society minute books. If you would like to join us, we practice on Thursday evenings at Marksbury Village Hall. Please get in touch first though, as we do have some Thursday evening pub tours arranged in the summer months.
The Festival is indebted to Somerset Morris for their support and enthusiasm to be with us
BEETLECRUSHERS is a clog and step dance group. We were established in 1982, to perform at folk festivals in the UK and abroad. You will also find us with other dance sides outside pubs, on village greens or in village halls all over the country.
We perform clog routines from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, with stepping or step dances from the Isle of Man, Quebec and Cape Breton.
Our regular members particularly value the easy and sociable atmosphere that is present when we meet, at practice or at Dance Outs.
We are always happy to welcome new members and have regular ‘beginners sessions’.
We practice weekly, on Wednesday evenings, at Binegar Village Hall, about three miles North of Shepton Mallet, Somerset ….unless we have a Dance Out on that date. Please check Current Dance Program or phone Ann Smith (below) before turning up.
Cenris is a Folk/Goth/Rock solo project, from Bristol, written, recorded and performed by one person. All the music is recorded with no digital instruments used.
After his performance last year we had to have him back
Steve Mercy, a powerful presence, and one of Keynsham’s finest brummies!
Always entertaining
Fast becoming a Festival veteran our Saturday would not be complete without …… the one man Morris show!
“Billy No Mates” and guests are pleased to be performing again at the Keynsham Music Festival. This year my guests are the Knights of King Ina (KOKI) and The Chalfont Stick Company. We shall be showing you some of our solo dances (jigs) and just having fun dancing together as friends do.
KOKI are an established jig side, Chalfont Stick are a Morris dancing family and Billy is just Billy. We look forward to seeing you at the Festival!”
What is alway
s certain, with Billy and his mates around there will always be fun in the true spirit of the tradition ….
We welcome back Billy and the Lowground as an exciting and key part of our folk saturday: A full and exciting, fiddle driven band – stalwarts of the local festival scene.
It’s always difficult to categorise a band that plays their own original material. Billy in the Lowground are often shoe-horned into the pigeonhole marked ‘Folk Rock’, mainly because they’re loud and there’s a distinct Irish influence courtesy of fiddle player Ruth Behan, but the sound is continuously evolving, incorporating elements of Country, Rock, and yes, Folk.
And the inevitable humour:
“We don’t play covers, on the basis that nobody else plays our stuff… so why should we play theirs ..?”
This trio impressed and entertained at The Festival of Nature two weeks ago – a hidden Keynsham talent!
If you didn’t hear them earlier on the Saturday performance stage have a look now…..
Young Voices
Jazz | Saturday 30th July | 5.30pm | The Park Saturday Dance stage, The Park: Sat Performance tent |
A weekend of music workshops for young people with Christopher Thomas, Director of music at St John’s Church – and from that we have an early evening performance of The Daniel Jazz in the Park …
A solo set from our own Steve Mercy – a powerful voice with his own songs reflecting poignant issues and engaging humour …
Tea and Buscuits
Folk | Saturday 30th July | 5.45pm | The Park: Sat Performance tent |
Having been an impressive solo act three years ago, last year Tea and Biscuits were an even more impressive duo, with classy guitar playing and accomplished and witty lyrics.
Can’t wait to see how they are now with another year down the line!
Jodie is very welcome back to performing in Keynsham after a musical break for the birth of her first child ….
Joe as, Funeral for the Bird, demonstrated his talent, great voice, and tracks form his new recording supporting Gavin Osborn last Monday – we immediately roped him in …..
Shuwanfey is a Welsh indie-folk artist, a singer-songwriter and a reckless free-spirit lost in the reveries of life …..
And in these parts we love this kind of existentialism.
So did the punters at The Ship a few Saturdays ago – enjoying an eclectic mixture of folk standards, contemporary and self written music. Performed with professionalism, wit and confidence. Had to be booked! Not to be missed
See and hear: shuwanfey
The 20th Gala Concert
Classical | Saturday 30th July | 7.00pm | The Park: Top Stage Marquee |
Keynsham Orchestra in The Park – a welcome return for all those in the Orchestra who may well have performed at and supported more Keynsham Music Festivals than anyone else!
Time to dust off those flags, forget the current state of the nation, and and enjoy the tradition and nostalgia, with that last night of proms feel-good …..
More and better food and refreshments on site than ever before
Free Event: Tickets from town council office do ensure a place within the covered marquee area
Cecilie
Folk | Saturday 30th July | 8.00pm | The Park: Sat Performance tent |
With our French connection this year its good to have a performer who works bilingually, in both French and English …
Featuring Nick Gibbs on fiddle a former Keynsham resident, FolkLaw are ….. “Stylish Passionate Folk Rock” – R2, “Outstanding and Evocative” – FATEA, “Whirling Jigs and Lyrics which bite!” – fRoots. FolkLaw’s music will get your feet tapping and your mind thinking. Inspired by 10 years on the road in Europe and North America, FolkLaw’s songs are a real commentary on life, with earthy lyrics and vocals accompanied by Celtic fiddle and distinctive vocal harmonies. Described as “Show of Hands with a new wave ethic” (fRoots) and an “acoustic New Model Army” (FolkWorld), FolkLaw have forged a unique blend of energised entertaining UK folk-rock.
Brand New album “Smokey Joe” is OUT NOW!!!
Described as “Outstanding and Evocative” by FATEA, “Stylish Passionate Folk Rock” by R2, and “a milestone of folk music” by FolkWords “Smokey Joe” is FolkLaw’s latest album. Mixed by Lyndon Webb, mastered by Daz Smith, and released on Fiddle of 8 Records, it’s been launched to critical acclaim, been played on radio from the BBC to Canada, Germany and Australia, and includes tracks which have appeared on the front cover of R2 magazine and reached the semi-finals of the UK songwriting contest.
