YORK’S free acoustic music jamboree, the City of York Folk Weekend, is ready to roll again from June 1 to 3 at the Black Swan Inn on Peasholme Green.

Organised by Black Swan Folk Club promoter Roland Walls, this annual event will fill almost every corner of the historic pub with live entertainment.

"There'll be a marquee stage with full PA in the car park, plus three rooms of music-making indoors," he says. "With concerts, a ceilidh, musicians’ sessions, singarounds, themed events and more, there should be something to suit all tastes."

After beginning as a one-day folk celebration in 2003, the festival soon expanded to a full weekend and has never missed a year, despite relying entirely on volunteers.

Around 45 billed singers and bands will perform at the 16th festival, alongside dozens of informal participants. "All the billed acts come from the York area or have strong local connections, and the weekend is designed to showcase and celebrate our flourishing folk, roots and acoustic music scene," says Roland.

"The main concerts will take place under canvas on June 2 and 3, with favourites such as The Duncan McFarlane Band, Leather’o, Graham Hodge, Joshua Burnell and The Dan Webster Band on the Saturday from 1pm to 10.30pm, followed by The Ale Marys, Union Jill and White Sail, among others, on the Sunday from 1pm to 10pm.

"In the marquee, there'll be dashes of world vocal music from Chechelele and Soundsphere and mainly unaccompanied British folk singing by Two Black Sheep & A Stallion. We'll also enjoy American folk, bluegrass and roots sounds from Phil Cerny, King Courgette and Stillhouse, while main stage singer-songwriter acts will include Stan Graham, Holly Taymar, with The Bronze, David Ward Maclean and Edwina Hayes. Making their folk weekend debuts this year will be York and Stamford Bridge folk trio Alterego and the exciting new duo of Bella Gaffney & Polly Bolton."

Parallel concerts in the upstairs function room, home of the regular folk club, will showcase a wide range of acts, from solo folk favourites Eddie Affleck, Paula Ryan and Sarah Dean to eclectic bands such as The Fine Companions, Caramba and That Mitchell & Wife Sound.

"Singer-songwriters will be particularly well represented this year, with student acts such as Crispin Halcrow, Tilly Moses and Tom McKenzie joining the older generation of David Swann, Martin Heaton, Simon Alexander, David Stevenson and John Storey," says Roland. "Original material will be showcased too in a special Sunday afternoon concert by members of the lively York Songwriters’ Circle."

Upstairs on the Friday will be the festival's Irish Night with a friendly open-house session hosted by York’s flourishing Irish Association from 8.30pm, while those who enjoy dancing should head to the Friday night Ceilidh Under Canvas in the marquee with FiddlersWreck from 8pm.

"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. "The pub dining room will be available all day Saturday and Sunday for informal musicians’ sessions, while the Oak Room will host a variety of singarounds and 'free & easy' jams."

Participants are invited for two workshop events on the Sunday morning. Vocal harmonisers Soundsphere will repeat their singing workshop, with more info available on 07963 792504, while Bella Gaffney and Polly Bolton will offer a hands-on introduction to old-time music, with more info to hand at bellaandpolly@outlook.com. That day too, children aged five to ten will be entertained by songwriter and children’s novelist Toni Bunnell, performing her show Enter The World Of Story.

Meanwhile, poets and storytellers will be in the spotlight at a Saturday lunchtime Poems and Pints open reading, hosted by writer John Gilham, from 1.30pm to 2.30pm.

Look out too for an off-site Festival Fringe involving two regular weekly events, the Friday night Songs & Tunes session for singers and players at The Three Legged Mare, in High Petergate and the Sunday night American old-time music gathering at The Golden Ball, Bishophill, from 8pm.

"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 been hired again this year, and there'll be extra mobile lavatory facilities. For safety reasons, the Black Swan 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; you can follow the festival at facebook.com/YorkFolkWeekend or email blackswanfolkclub@yahoo.co.uk for more details.

Charles Hutchinson