🗓️ Friday 11th – Sunday 13th September 2026
Get the date in your diary for Swanage Folk Festival 2026!
The annual folk festival in Swanage takes place each September, bringing the town alive with traditional music and colourful dance displays, along with a range of activities to get involved in.
It’s a weekend of folk concerts, street performances, music and dance workshops, all topped off with a Saturday night ceilidh – a chance for you to dust off those dancing shoes and get ready to strip the willow and swing your partner.
You’ll also find a great range of food stalls, a festival bar, children’s activities and an arts & crafts fair at the festival’s hub on Sandpit Field.
Line-Up for 2025
The details for 2026 are still being finalised, but here’s a look at what happened in 2025:
Friday 5th September
- 7.15pm – 10.45pm: Main Stage concert featuring Bonfire Radicals, The Haar & Winter Wilson
Saturday 6th September
- All day: Morris Dance sides at various locations around town
- 10am – 12pm: Free concert at Sandpit Field Main Stage: All Sort’d Choir & Purbeck Ukulele Group
- 12pm – 5pm: Free concert at Sandpit Field, featuring: The Savage Underdogs, Badgerfox & Bierfass Oompah Band
- 1pm – 3pm: Nick Parker at Swanage Conservative Club
- 2pm: Free fringe performance at the Bandstand with Angling for Farthings
- 2pm: Free fringe gig in The Mowlem Showbar: Tony & Una
- 3.30pm: Festival dance procession along Shore Road
- 5pm – 6.30pm: Buskers’ Corner: Come along with your instrument (acoustic only) and share your music
- 5pm: Free fringe gig with The Bere Essentials in The Mowlem Showbar
- 6pm: Free fringe performance in The Showbar: Louis Alberry
- 7pm: Free fringe performance at The Mowlem’s Showbar: Reg Meuross with Fire & Dust
- 7.15pm – 10.45pm: Acts on the main stage include: Mike McGoldrick, Dezi Donnelly & Tim Edey, TRADarrr and Harbottle & Jonas
- 7.30pm – 10.30pm: Festival Ceilidh at The Swanage School with Narthen (Tickets £15 or £5 with festival wristband)
- 7.30pm: Free fringe gig at The Purbeck Plaza, with Woodley Gentlemen’s Club
- 7.30pm: Saturday Music Session: Free fringe at the White Swan, led by Steve Tattum
- 9.30pm: Fringe gig with Sea of Sound Expedition at the Fonc Lounge
Sunday 7th September
- All day: Dance sides around town, plus a special ‘Sea Dance’ at 4pm, with many of the sides dancing in the sea
- 12pm – 5pm: Main stage free concert featuring: The Rigmarollers, The Crows, Murphys Lore Trio and Waterfolk Choir
- 1pm – 3.30pm: Glenn Ross & Em Fidler, plus Katy Hooper at the Con Club
- 3pm: Doghouse Folkalypsomenco Duo: Free fringe gig at The Black Swan
- 4pm: Boots Don’t Fit. Free Fringe gig in the Showbar
- 4pm: Maiden Oak Ceilidh Band at the bandstand. Free fringe performance
- 5pm – 6.30pm: Buskers’ Corner: Come along and sign up & sing, play or simply listen (acoustic only)
- 7.15pm: To Win the Day – Folk drama by Time & Tide: Free event in The Mowlem Showbar
- 7.30pm – 10.30pm: Main stage concert: Kate Griffin & Matchume Zango, Narthen and Folklaw
(Donations for all free fringe festival performances are welcome to help keep the festival going)
Keep an eye on line-up announcement and updates on the festival website: swanagefolkfestival.com/programme/
Workshops
Choose from Bulgarian folk dancing to Bollywood, and from belly dancing to sea shanty singing – there’s a workshop to suit everyone.
Workshops are £4 cash on the door, unless you have a weekend ticket.
Find a list of dance, music and singing workshops, along with a map of festival locations on the Swanage Folk Festival website: swanagefolkfestival.com/category/workshops/
Festival Fair
The annual craft fair is one of the highlights of Swanage Folk Festival, with over sixty stalls taking over Sandpit Field.
Held right next to the main festival marquee, it’s a great way to extend your enjoyment of your day by browsing the market stalls and sampling some great street food before your concert starts, or to fuel up before a night of dancing at the ceilidh.
You’ll find food and drinks stalls and handmade gifts including pottery, artworks, soaps, apparel and even musical instruments.
Entry to the craft fair is free.
Tickets
- Adult (Friday, Saturday & Sunday evening concerts): £30 per concert (+ £1 booking fee)
- Child (Under 16s) (Friday, Saturday & Sunday evening concerts): £15 (+ £1 booking fee)
- Sunday afternoon concert: £15
- All evening concerts wristband: £85 (+ £2 booking fee) (Access all areas (evening concerts& workshops during the weekend) SOLD OUT
- Saturday Ceilidh, featuring Narthen: £15 (+ £1 booking fee)
- Con Club value ticket: £20 (Entry into two Con Club afternoon concerts – £20 when you buy a weekend ticket)
There is also the option to leave a donation, which helps to cover the cost of the festival (any surplus goes to local good causes – over the last two years the Folk Festival has donated over £8,000 Swanage Food Bank, Dementia Friendly Purbeck, Swanage Rotary, Swanage Disabled Club amongst others.
- Booking: Buy tickets online: swanagefolkfestival.com/tickets/
There may also be tickets for sale on the day at the festival information tent.
Volunteer at the festival
If you’re local, why not get involved in the folk festival by becoming a steward? It’s a great way to meet like-minded locals, have a bit of fun – and a bonus is it means you can attend events for free.
Duties include helping out with checking tickets, managing road closures and giving collection tins a friendly shake as you go around.
You’ll be paired up with another volunteer or, if you have a friend who wants to join you, you can steward as a ready-made pair. Don’t worry about having prior volunteering experience – you’ll be shown what to do in advance.
There’s no minimum amount of time that you’re expected to volunteer for, however a minimum of five hours gives you the following benefits:
- Five – eight hours: Receive a wristband giving you free entry into all venues except the evening concerts and main ceilidh (these will be half price for you)
- Eight hours+: Access all areas/events
Note that the above benefits are both subject to there being space after full-paying ticket-holders have taken their places.
If you’d like to volunteer at Swanage Folk Festival, visit their website: swanagefolkfestival.com/information/can-you-help-us/
