45th Chippenham Folk Festival

Chippenham Folk Festival is a unique and distinctive event of national importance. It features the very best in English traditional music and dance with an emphasis on participation and education. Run entirely by volunteers, it has minimal and very local sponsorship; it is fiercely independent and entirely in control of its artistic programme. Ticket prices are kept as low as possible and the festival runs over four days. It is designed to be non-profit.

It is a ‘200+ events, make up your own festival in a variety of venues in a small, welcoming, market town’ festival. Just like English traditional music and dance it is modest, unassuming, inclusive, fun and ultimately rewarding.

There is huge support locally and as a spin-off, the town makes a lot of money because of the festival. Chippenham Folk Festival prides itself on being within the town and supporting the town’s economy, cultural heritage and education. The Chippenham Town Council and Chippenham Area Board of Wiltshire Council recently honoured the festival organisers with a Civic Award for both their dedication to the folk festival and for the importance of the folk festival to the town of Chippenham.

The festival started in Lacock, a nearby picturesque village in 1972. It was soon clear that the Festival had outgrown the village and it gravitated to the nearest picturesque town. The festival has continued to evolve while holding true to the original principles. The people involved in it have changed, new areas become dynamic, some venues disappear and new venues become available; putting on the festival is always challenging but at its core, the people who are involved in the festival are passionate about it.