Welcome to Rockhampton!
A warm welcome to our festival, and thanks for choosing to join us. We hope you have a great time.
If there's anything we can do to help you enjoy your afternoon please come to the Information desk by the village hall or find someone in a green t-shirt who will be able to help.
Have a fantastic afternoon - and don't forget to Save the Date for next year 16 June 2024.
Please do tell us what we could do to make the festival even better next year - contact us.
Chris & Nicki
If there's anything we can do to help you enjoy your afternoon please come to the Information desk by the village hall or find someone in a green t-shirt who will be able to help.
Have a fantastic afternoon - and don't forget to Save the Date for next year 16 June 2024.
Please do tell us what we could do to make the festival even better next year - contact us.
Chris & Nicki
A few important things...
Access from the parking area to the festival field is via a short public footpath past the church which you use at your own risk. There are a few steps to be careful of.
If you have any questions or an emergency come to the information desk near the gate or ask someone in a green folk festival T-shirt who will be able to help you.
Our licensing arrangements do not allow you to bring your own alcohol on site. Thanks for your cooperation with this.
We have made the field as safe as practical but we are in the countryside so do be careful and look out for uneven ground, nettles and brambles - they bite!
If you have any questions or an emergency come to the information desk near the gate or ask someone in a green folk festival T-shirt who will be able to help you.
Our licensing arrangements do not allow you to bring your own alcohol on site. Thanks for your cooperation with this.
We have made the field as safe as practical but we are in the countryside so do be careful and look out for uneven ground, nettles and brambles - they bite!
Toilets
You'll find them down the slope at the lower end of the site. Past the bar and keep going!
Timings
Here's what's going on and when. Timings are approximate and may change on the day.
Click the link to find out more about each artist...
2.15 Dovetail Orchestra
3.00 Ainsley Hamill with Toby Shaer
4.00 Alain Rouamba and Servo
5.00 Kit Hawes and Aaron Catlow
6.00 Panache Steel Band
6.20 Troyka
7.10 Panache Steel Band
7.30 Lochrian Ceilidh Band
Click the link to find out more about each artist...
2.15 Dovetail Orchestra
3.00 Ainsley Hamill with Toby Shaer
4.00 Alain Rouamba and Servo
5.00 Kit Hawes and Aaron Catlow
6.00 Panache Steel Band
6.20 Troyka
7.10 Panache Steel Band
7.30 Lochrian Ceilidh Band
Activities - for all!
Alain and Servo will have a free drumming workshop in the Village Hall at about 4.50 after their performance on the main stage,
We will also have Bubble workshops on the field at 3.50 and 4.40
Ever fancied yourself as a graffiti artist? Come and try our street art wall!
Children are welcome at the kids tent all afternoon with lots of activities - clay, model making, art etc.
We will also have Bubble workshops on the field at 3.50 and 4.40
Ever fancied yourself as a graffiti artist? Come and try our street art wall!
Children are welcome at the kids tent all afternoon with lots of activities - clay, model making, art etc.
Food and Drink
Tea and Cake
Splendid home-baked cakes and tea available from the ladies of the village until about 4.30pm. All proceeds to charity.
Splendid home-baked cakes and tea available from the ladies of the village until about 4.30pm. All proceeds to charity.
Bar
A range of reasonably priced soft and alcoholic drinks including Pimms. Our beer is from Tiley’s Brewery, which produces small batch, award-winning ale from a ramshackle old stable block behind the iconic Salutation Inn at Ham.
Please remember that our licensing arrangements do not allow you to bring your own alcohol on site.
A range of reasonably priced soft and alcoholic drinks including Pimms. Our beer is from Tiley’s Brewery, which produces small batch, award-winning ale from a ramshackle old stable block behind the iconic Salutation Inn at Ham.
Please remember that our licensing arrangements do not allow you to bring your own alcohol on site.
Klaus Mücher
Yummy Vegetarian nachos and salads from our very own very local caterer.
Yummy Vegetarian nachos and salads from our very own very local caterer.
Fabioni's
A variety of tasty offerings - wraps, hot dogs, salads etc. Gluten-free available too.
A variety of tasty offerings - wraps, hot dogs, salads etc. Gluten-free available too.
Ice Cream
Mrs Smiley O’Reilly and her vintage-style tricycle, serving up delicious award-winning ice cream from Tarrs of Bristol. Sold in cones or tubs with a variety of free toppings. Look out for the ice cream hat!
Mrs Smiley O’Reilly and her vintage-style tricycle, serving up delicious award-winning ice cream from Tarrs of Bristol. Sold in cones or tubs with a variety of free toppings. Look out for the ice cream hat!
A bit about the festival
We always fancied the idea of creating a midsummer music festival for our village. The visit of a band of lederhosen-clad musicians from Bavaria in 2014 gave us the chance and the Rockhampton Folk Festival was born. This year we're celebrating our eighth festival - it's been quite an adventure.
We nurtured the festival from small beginnings to what you see today, but we have no desire to create a big commercial event. People tell us they love the friendly relaxed atmosphere, the top-quality music and the local feel. These are the things that make the Rockhampton Folk Festival special and that we don't plan to change.
We nurtured the festival from small beginnings to what you see today, but we have no desire to create a big commercial event. People tell us they love the friendly relaxed atmosphere, the top-quality music and the local feel. These are the things that make the Rockhampton Folk Festival special and that we don't plan to change.
Making a difference in our community
Some groups in our community rarely see live music. So we bring the festival to them instead. Over the weeks around the festival we are delivering outreach concerts to primary, secondary and special needs schools, care homes, the local hospital etc. Since 2016 over 3000 people in local schools and old people's centres have experienced live music thanks to Rockhampton Folk Festival.
Please Donate something today to support our outreach work
We are a registered charity run entirely by volunteers. We no longer receive grant funding from the Arts Council National Lottery grants so have to rely entirely on festival tickets and kind donations. Anything you donate will go directly to support outreach work in our community. Please help!
Rockhampton Folk Festival Grants
When we set up the festival one of our dreams was that it could promote and support local music-making. We started this with our programme of outreach then in 2022 we took the next big step and awarded our first Rockhampton Folk Festival Grants to support music and the arts in our community.
We awarded 15 grants of up to £500 each. Recipients included...
The Castle School, Thornbury
Marlwood School, Alveston
St Mary's Primary School, Thornbury
Manorbrook Primary School, Thornbury
Thornbury Area Youth Music
Dovetail Orchestra for asylum-seeking and refugee musicians
Several Ukrainian refugee children to support their music tuition while they are in the UK
Julian House
Carl Morgan music therapist
Thornbury Swing Band
MyThornbury
We awarded 15 grants of up to £500 each. Recipients included...
The Castle School, Thornbury
Marlwood School, Alveston
St Mary's Primary School, Thornbury
Manorbrook Primary School, Thornbury
Thornbury Area Youth Music
Dovetail Orchestra for asylum-seeking and refugee musicians
Several Ukrainian refugee children to support their music tuition while they are in the UK
Julian House
Carl Morgan music therapist
Thornbury Swing Band
MyThornbury
Thank you!
To all our lovely volunteers and helpers who make the day work - we couldn't do it without you.
Thank you too to the hosts who have looked after our friendly smiling scarecrows around the area for the past few weeks.
Thank you too to the hosts who have looked after our friendly smiling scarecrows around the area for the past few weeks.
Local suppliers for a local festival
We always try to use local suppliers if we can and build a long-term relationship with them to supply the festival. If you'd like to work with us do get in touch