THE Ebor Morris men like beer and curry. In fact, legend has it that one of the reasons the group was founded in 1974 in the first place (by a group of young men who all used to attend a Friday night folk club at the Bay Horse in Gillygate) was that they wanted to get some exercise in between pints.

They also happen to be rather good at dancing, however - albeit a very particular form of dance involving funny hats, garters, cricket whites (or something very like them) and jingling bells.

Particular it may be, but Morris is a style of dance with a very long and honourable tradition that dates back to at least the 1400s. And this coming weekend (September 10 and 11th) that tradition will continue with a veritable feast of Morris and clog dancing in the centre of York.

The 29th York Festival of Traditional Dance, organised by the men of Ebor Morris, will involve 12 teams from all over England - among them the world famous Brittania Coconut Dancers from Bacup in Lancashire, and the Blackheath Morris Men from London, who danced in the closing ceremony for the London Olympics.

The will be no Olympians in York this weekend, sadly - not that we know of, anyway. But there will be a sprinkling of ceremonial stardust to accompany the traditional dance - in the form of the presence of York's Lord Mayor Dave Taylor and his civic party.

York Press:

Not just Morris Men: Members of the Fidler's Fancy from Lancashire taking part in the 2008 festival

The festival will begin at 10:30 on Saturday with a procession from the Guildhall to Parliament Street, followed by dance displays in the city centre and a 'grand showcase' at 3:30 in St Sampsons Square in front of York's first citizen and his party. The dancing will then continue on Sunday from 11am to 1:30pm.

The mayoral support is very much appreciated, says Ebor Morris's 'bagman' (secretary) Kevin Holland. The Lord Mayor (in his or her various incarnations) has been a constant supporter of the festival since it started 28 years ago after the first pedestrianised areas opened in the city centre.

"They have come and supported us unstintingly and have always been happy, pleasant and interested!" Kevin says. "It is a great honour for us, and the visiting teams are always impressed to see them."

York Press:

Ebor Morris dancing outside York Minster in 1974

We're sure anyone in the centre of York this coming weekend will be equally impressed by the standard of traditional dancing on display.

For lovers of eccentric English tradition, the city centre will certainly be the place to be, this weekend.

Meanwhile, to get you in the mood, here are a few photographs from the Ebor Morris Men's early years - and from some of the earlier festivals. Enjoy...

  • To find out more about Ebor Morris, or about the 29th York Festival of Traditional Dance, visit www.ebormorris.org.uk

A brief history of the York Festival of Traditional Dance

The festival started small in 1987 with just a few Morris teams, writes Kevin Holland of Ebor Morris.

The following year John Liley, the city centre manager, asked Ebor Morris if they could organise something on a grander scale as entertainment in the newly pedestrianised areas. The 1988 Traditional Dance Festival involved 11 teams and was funded and promoted by the city council.

In 1989 John Liley managed to get the company that was supplying the slabs and block paving for the foot streets ( Plasmore Ltd ) to sponsor the event when 18 teams were present. They sponsored the next year also, when again 18 teams attended.

In 1991 the "foot street" pedestrianisation was extended to more of the city centre. The whole of Parliament Street was given a face lift, and the festival got a new sponsor, Marshall's Paving.

For most of the 29 years the weather has been good, with some notable exceptions. "In 1992 a group of folk dancers from York's twin town of Munster (Munsterlandissche Volkstanzruppe Metelen) paid us a visit - and it poured down most of the day!", says Paul Sanderson from Poppleton, who was the festival organiser for many years.

In 2014, meanwhile, the heavens opened just as Ebor Morris took the stage to dance for the Lord Mayor -but they carried on despite the deluge.

York Press:

Dancin' in the rain: Members of Ebor Morris in the rain in St Sampson's Square during the 2014 festival

For the millennium in the year 2000 instead of inviting teams from all parts of the country Ebor Morris invited Yorkshire teams only. There were 70+ teams listed in the various organisations of The Morris Ring, Morris Federation and Open Morris. In the end 32 teams were listed on the programme and it meant we had to have 10 dance spots! The finale was terrific with the sight of all these teams performing a massed dance.