Description

Taking the audience on a musical journey around the World, English instrumental duo The Hut People (Sam Pirt and Gary Hammond) have firmly established themselves as one of THE most unique, entertaining and best-loved acts on the UK folk scene today.

Mixing global rhythms with folk tunes from Quebec to Spain, Scandinavia to Sussex and everywhere in between, this is a quirky celebration of our rich musical heritage – and it works so well!

This is a show like nothing you’ve ever seen before – expect feel-good dancing tunes, audience participation, step dancing, Quebecois foot-percussion (whilst playing the accordion!) and humour aplenty.

Description

Rather than drifting towards becoming another commercially driven, ticketed event, the team of volunteer organisers has doggedly held fast to the original grass roots, access-for-all ethos, and so the festival has retained its unique, eclectic and idiosyncratic atmosphere.

Music has the power to make us all feel part of something bigger than ourselves, while nurturing a true sense of community and local pride. The pastoral, village fete atmosphere of the Library Gardens and the bustling, waterfront location of Old Leigh are both fundamental to the spirit of the weekend, and offer a natural, unpretentious welcome to visitors in their thousands.

See individual gig listings for location details.

A century ago, Essex proved fertile ground for the first wave of folk song collectors like Cecil Sharp and Ralph Vaughan-Williams, and perhaps some of this legacy persists in our local traditional music scene.

While Southend and the ‘Thames Delta’ are probably best known for the blues and pub-rock bands of the 60s and 70s, as well as today’s local heroes, it has always supported a flourishing folk and acoustic music scene and has in recent years seen poetry and storytelling take to the stages, along with traditional dance sides and a truly special procession.

The Leigh Folk Festival is fantastic, it’s free and it’s all our own. And what’s more we have more mud than Glastonbury… but only when the tide is out!

Various Venues,

Leigh-on-Sea,

Essex,

England,

SS9 2.