THE City of York Folk Weekend, York's annual free acoustic music jamboree, will be held at the Black Swan Inn, Peasholme Green, from June 2 to 4.

Live entertainment will pour out of almost every corner of the historic pub with three rooms of music-making indoors, complemented by a marquee stage with full PA in the car park.

Next month's programme of concerts, a ceilidh, musicians’ sessions, singarounds, themed events and more besides in the festival's 15th year will feature around 45 singers and bands, alongside dozens of informal participants.

"All the billed acts come from York or neighbouring parts and the weekend is designed to unite, showcase and celebrate our flourishing local folk, roots and acoustic music scene," says lead organiser Roland Walls.

The main concerts will take place under canvas on the Saturday and Sunday, with favourites such as Blackbeard’s Tea Party, Leather’o, Joshua Burnell and Bramble Napskins on June 3 between 1pm and 10.30pm, followed by The Duncan McFarlane Band, The Ale Marys, Ramblin’ Times and Two Black Sheep & A Stallion, among others, on June 4 between 1pm and 10pm.

Making their Folk Weekend debuts this year will be acoustic trios White Sail and Stillhouse and new group Ramshackle, comprising four of the resident singers from the weekly Black Swan Folk Club. In the marquee too will be the world vocal music of Chechelele and Soundsphere, alongside American folk, bluegrass and roots sounds from Phil Cerny, King Courgette and Union Central.

Main stage singer-songwriters will include Dan Webster, David Ward Maclean, Martin Heaton and Paula Ryan, while in the car park some interludes between main stage acts will be filled by Morris dance sides Ebor, Acorn and Minster Strays.

Parallel concerts in the upstairs function room, the regular home of the Black Swan Folk Club, will showcase acts ranging from female a cappella vocalists The Lennanshees, The Bluebirds and Concordia to the bands The Fine Companions and That Mitchell & Wife Sound and duos Judith Haswell & Trish Maclean, Mary Vipond & Andy Whittaker and Steve & Dee Marshall.

York Press:

Joshua Burnell

Look out too for humour from Phil Pipe and Fake Thackray, Scottish folk from Eddie Affleck and self-penned songs of Alex Golisti, Tom McKenzie, Sarah Dean, Simon Alexander, David Swann, John Storey and Stan Graham. Original material will be in the spotlight in a special Saturday afternoon concert by members of the reinvigorated York Songwriters’ Circle.

Friday night will be Irish Night upstairs on June 2 with a friendly open-house session hosted by York’s flourishing Irish Association, while those wishing to dance should head to the Friday ceilidh under canvas in the marquee with FiddlersWreck(CORRECT).

"Participation is just as important as concert performance at any folk festival and there'll be multiple opportunities for anyone to have a go at singing or playing," says Roland. "These include all-day musicians’ sessions in the dining room, open-mic club events, singarounds and free & easy jams.

"Participants are also invited for a singing workshop on the Sunday morning with vocal harmonisers Soundsphere, while young children are catered for by Jane Stockdale & Chris Bartram in a special Sunday lunchtime event called Bash!. Meanwhile, poets and storytellers will be in focus on the Saturday, with a lunchtime poems and pints open reading hosted by writer John Gilham."

Constituting an off-site Festival Fringe will be two regular weekly events, the Friday night singers and players’ session at the Three Legged Mare, in High Petergate, and the Sunday night American Old Time Music gathering at The Golden Ball community pub in Bishophill.

"Thanks to the generosity of the performers, all these events are entirely free of charge, although there are of course some unavoidable costs in staging any festival and the organisers will be rattling collection tins from time to time," says Roland. "The pub will have plenty of good food on sale, which you can enjoy in the two walled beer gardens, and it offers a fine choice of real ales and other drinks.

"A large marquee and plenty of chairs have again been hired this year, and there'll be extra mobile toilet facilities. For safety reasons the car park will be closed to vehicles, but there are alternative city-centre parking or park-and-ride options, and don’t forget that the Black Swan Inn sits on several main bus routes.

"Everyone is invited to come along and join in the festivities, whether for an hour or two or for all three days." Go to blackswanfolkclub.org.uk for the full programme; follow the festival on Facebook at facebook.com/YorkFolkWeekend; alternatively, you can e-mail blackswanfolkclub@yahoo.co.uk for more details.