Bands play to capacity crowd at Folk & Roots Festival
They came, they danced and they sang at Malmesbury’s first ever folk festival, with bands playing to a capacity audience.
The Folk & Roots Festival, which was pulled together in just a few weeks by a small team, was held in the beautiful Cloister Gardens of Malmesbury Abbey and was completely sold out, with 500 attendees.
Backed by Malmesbury Town Council, and timed to coincide with the inaugural European Folk Day, a stellar line-up on stage was complemented by sideshows, stalls and Morris dancing sides.
One of the organisers was Malmesbury resident Catherine Burke, who runs the renowned Purbeck Valley Folk Festival. Catherine was able to book top folk bands, including 3 Daft Monkeys, Martha Tilson, Old Baby Mackerel and Wiltshire band Fly Yeti Fly.
“I’m absolutely delighted with how the festival went. There was a great atmosphere, the music was awesome, and everyone had a lot of fun,” said Catherine. “It was a shame to have to turn people without tickets away. To have sold out on the first year of a festival is unheard of – a lovely surprise and we’re all over the moon!”
Any profits raised will go to Mayor of Malmesbury Cllr Gavin Grant’s three Mayoral charities: HEALS of Malmesbury, Malmesbury Animal Sanctuary and Malmesbury River Valleys Trust.
“It was a fantastic atmosphere, the Abbey made a beautiful backdrop and we showcased Malmesbury at its best,” said Cllr Grant. “A big thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it happen and we hope it can become an annual fixture of Malmesbury’s music calendar.”