The Official Broadstairs Folk Week ®

19/06/2026

We’re on the front cover of the Broadstairs Beacon! 📰💜
Huge thanks to the Beacon team the community of Broadstairs Folk Week 2026 is everything that makes this festival so special.

What will you discover when Broadstairs turns into a living stage - from headline gigs with and to late-night sessions with to family-friendly dancing by the sea with ceilidhs.

This year we’re celebrating 61 years of music, dance, and Broadstairs’ unique seaside culture, with events happening all week from 7–14 August across the town.

Pick up a copy of the Broadstairs Beacon around town, give the feature a read, and start planning your Folk Week – we can’t wait to see you in August. Take a picture of you with beacon and tag us. We love seeing you in the wild!

17/06/2026

Listen to the second single from Martin Simpson new album on BBC Radio 2 Folk Show tonight. Then book your tickets to see Martin live at Broadstairs Folk Week. He is one of England’s most revered folk performers, widely acknowledged as one of the finest acoustic and slide guitar players in the world.

Exciting news today. The second single from the new album will premiere on the BBC Radio 2 Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe tonight. Plus some great news that we have been holding on to for a while! Listen here
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002xglz

Single: 'Love Never Dies' is out 1st July and it's the second single from the new album 'Some Kind of Jubilee'. I hope you like it

All you album pre order and pre-save links are here:
https://martinsimpson.lnk.to/somekindofjubilee

M.

17/06/2026

⚠️ URGENT SCAM WARNING – BROADSTAIRS FOLK WEEK TRADERS ⚠️

We’ve been made aware of phishing emails being sent from a Gmail account, pretending to be Broadstairs Folk Week and contacting traders. Thanks to the wonderful for taking the time to tell us!

These emails claim that:
• Your trading space is full / there is no space unless you act quickly
• You must pay within 24 hours to secure your pitch
• They use pressure tactics to get you to send money
👉 These emails are NOT from us.
👉 Do NOT send any money or personal details.

All official trader communication comes from our verified Broadstairs Folk Week email addresses and via our official channels only. Our spaces are filled for 2026.

We have reported this to: [email protected]
If you receive one of these emails, please forward it to [email protected] and then delete it.

Please:
• Tag and share this post with any traders, stallholders and local businesses who might be affected
• Help us spread the word so no one loses money to this scam

We’re updating information across our channels and will continue to keep you informed.

Thank you for your help in keeping our community safe.

11/06/2026

What will you discover at Broadstairs Folk Week?
This is one you don’t want to miss.

“They’re a sizzling hot ensemble… one of the tightest line-ups I’ve ever seen.” - Songlines
“Seriously exceptional musicians.” - R2
“Up there with the best of them.” - BBC Radio 2 Folk Show

Urban Folk Quartet, create a powerful, rhythm-driven sound marked by virtuosity, tight arrangements, and infectious energy, blending traditional folk with global influences including funk, afrobeat, Indian and Middle Eastern music.

UFQ’s debut album won the Spanish International Folk Competition and the Hancock Award for Best Newcomer, firmly establishing them as a major force in modern folk music. The band have since released multiple acclaimed studio and live albums and have appeared at leading festivals including Glastonbury Festival, WOMAD, Cambridge Folk Festival, Shrewsbury Folk Festival, Celtic Connections, and Towersey Festival. Renowned for their fearless musicianship and compelling stage presence,

Urban Folk Quartet continue to push the boundaries of contemporary folk while remaining rooted in tradition.
Book now before it sells out. Link in stories.

10/06/2026

What was your first live gig? Tell us below. 👇

We’ll start.

Grassroots venues don’t just launch artists - they launch audiences too.

Everyone has a first live show. A first small room. A first moment it clicked.

What was yours?

04/06/2026

Martin Barre was Jethro Tull’s guitarist for over 43 years, and his sound was a major force behind their success, with album sales topping 60 million and songs still played worldwide as pillars of classic rock history.

His solo on Aqualung was voted among the greatest of all time in both the USA and UK, and his playing on Crest of a Knave won a Grammy Award for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance in 1989.

Martin has recorded and performed with artists including Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Gary Moore, Joe Bonamassa and Chris Thompson, and has shared the stage with legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin.

Opening the night is Brooke Law, a rising artist who’s played Isle of Wight, C2C and Black Deer festivals, plus headline shows at Bush Hall and Omeara. Her blend of country, rock and pop, and her gritty, emotionally charged vocals, have seen her tipped as “one to watch” by BBC Introducing.

This gig is separate from your Folk Week wristband as our pre festival show. This will sell out so get your tickets now. Link in bio.

03/06/2026

Hidden in the crowds and cliff‑top gardens, the Hooden Horses gallop through Broadstairs Folk Week – the mischievous spirit animals of a seaside town turned living stage. What are your favourite things about them?

Broadstairs Folk Week: 7 - 14 Aug 2026. Less than 100 week long wristbands left. Link to yours in story.

03/06/2026

One word of caution: keep an eye out for the Hooden Horses” might be our favourite quote – they’re still as brilliant as ever.

For 61 years now, Broadstairs has turned itself into a living stage: Morris on the corners, songs on the beach, and that feeling that the whole town is in on it.

This clip is from Folk Week 2011 – and somehow it still looks like home. Same streets, same bells, same sea breeze… just a few more grey hairs for some, and new generations joining in to make even more memories.

Have you got your wristband for this year yet? They will sell out with less than 100 left. So don’t leave it too long – there are only 11 weeks to go. Link in stories.

Coverage of Broadstairs Folk Week by BBC South East Today on this d...

22/08/2025

What you doing for the Bank Holiday weekend?