🗓️ 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.
This year’s highlights include The Longest Johns, the Gerry Colvin Band and Merry Hell.
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
The 2026 Festival programme is still being finalised, but here are some confirmed highlights:
Friday 11th September
- 7.15pm – 10.45pm: Main Stage concert featuring the Gerry Colvin Band,Banter and Janice Burns & Jon Doran
Saturday 12th September
- All day: Morris Dance sides at various locations around town
- All Day: Workshops, Catholic Church hall (timings tbc)
- All Day: Craft Fair, festival bar & children’s entertainment
- 11.15pm – 12pm: Allsort’d Choir & Purbeck Youth Tradfolk Collective
- 12.30pm – 5pm: Free concerts featuring Sian & Rob Colquhoun, The Savage Underdogs & Murphy’s Law Trio (Main Stage)
- 12.30pm onwards: Fringe acts (tbc) around town
- 1pm – 3.30pm: Jew Lowe & Polly Morris, Swanage Con Club
- 3.30pm: Festival dance procession along Shore Road
- 5pm – 6.30pm: Buskers’ Corner: Come along with your instrument (acoustic only) and share your music
- 7.15pm – 10.45pm: Merry Hell, nine barrow & Man the Lifeboats, Main Stage
- 7.30pm – 10.30pm: Festival Ceilidh at The Swanage School with Narthen (Tickets ÂŁ15 or ÂŁ5 with festival wristband)
- 7.30pm: Free fringe gigs (tba) around town
Sunday 13th September
- 10.30am: Festival church service & dancing, St Mary’s Church
- 10.30am onwards: Dance displays around town
- All Day: Craft fair, festival bar & children’s entertainers
- All Day: Catholic Church hall, (timings tbc)
- 12pm – 5pm: Free concerts featuring Wight Hot Pipes, Dark Sheep & Clementine Lovell (Main Stage)
- 12.30pm onwards: Fringe acts (tbc) around town
- 1pm – 3.30pm: Music (tbc) at The Con Club
- 4pm: The Sea Dance – sides dancing in the sea at Swanage Beach
- 7pm – 10.30pm: Main stage concert: The Longest Johns, Reg Metros with Fire & dust, and Nick Parker
(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 ÂŁ4 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
Find and book tickets and festival wristbands on the Swanage Folk Festival website: https://swanagefolkfestival.com
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/
