Thanks to everyone who applied to perform at our 2019 festival showcase concerts. The concerts team are now reviewing the applications and will be in touch with you in the next few weeks. If you haven’t applied for the 2019 event, don’t forget we will have busking spots available during the festival.
The Administrator is in the process of updating this website for the 2019 event. Part of this update included the deletion of our old, obsolete website. Unfortunately all of the updates for 2018 were inadvertantly added to the old database which has been deleted. Posts from 2017 and earlier are not affected.
Please visit our Facebook page at:
Our 2019 Festival will take place on 19th-21st July. We are now seeking performers for our two showcase concerts and other events.
Our showcase concerts will both be held in Mitcheldean church. The first is an ‘unplugged’, acoustic, candle-lit concert on the evening of Friday 19th from 7:30pm-10:30pm. The second is an amplified concert on the afternoon/evening of Saturday 20th.
Performers wishing to be considered for a slot at one of these concerts should download the Mitcheldean Festival 2019 Concert Application form, complete it and e-mail it to concerts2019@mitcheldeanfestival.fod.uk.
Applications will close on 8th February 2019.
In case you didn’t know, we record the concerts at our Festival and our performers generously donate the recordings for use on our fund raising CDs. The proceeds from these CDs are used to help fund next year’s Mitcheldean Festival.
We currently have two CDs available at £5 each, plus £1.50 postage. Wave Over Wave contains performances from the 2016 festival and Hello New Life contains performances from 2017. CDs can be sent by post or collected, post free, from Mitcheldean Folk Club at the White Horse in Mitcheldean on the second Thursday of each month. For more information and to order a copy of either CD (or both) please email concerts2018@mitcheldeanfestival.fod.uk
For those seeking a more relaxed alternative to Sunday’s folk walk some of our usual suspects will be hosting a acoustic session in The White Horse from 2pm. Come along to sing a song, play a tune, tell a story or just enjoy the entertainment provided by others.
One of the best things about having a Festival in Mitcheldean is that the countryside is within walking distance — literally! And what better way to enjoy a summer Sunday than to sing along the Gloucestershire Way?
First, a cooked breakfast is available at the White Horse in Mitcheldean between 10 am and 12 noon @ £6.95 per head — please call / text Andy on 07772 053778 or e-mail folkwalk@mitcheldeanfestival.fod.uk by SUNDAY 15TH JULY to book your brekkie (veggie option available).
At 12 we will then set off on a circular tour of around seven miles, visiting several establishments with time for refreshments and a few songs. Each stop has its own theme for music and poetry:
…and the ice creams at the Farmer’s Boy are well worth sampling!
Dogs are welcome as you can see — if you don’t want the breakfast you can just turn up for 12 at the White Horse, but advance notice of numbers would be helpful (call / text 07772 053778 or e-mail folkwalk@mitcheldeanfestival.fod.uk) — see you there!
Mitcheldean Festival welcomes buskers. This year, in addition to our usual “Busk Stops” around the village we are providing a “Buskers’ Base” in the Brewery Tap where buskers can both perform and store their belongings.
Busk Stops are located in the following places (just look for the Busk Stop signs):
A small PA will be provided in the Brewery tap and buskers are encouraged to perform into the evening. Please respect your fellow buskers and take it in turns to perform.
Have you ever wanted to (or tried to) sing a song, read a poem or show a party piece to an audience, but found that fear got in the way or it went horribly wrong? Maybe you lost your nerve, or had stage fright? Maybe you felt you would be judged and heard those negative voices in your head screaming failure, or that you simply aren’t good enough; somebody may have even told you this!
You are definitely not alone.
The Chocolate Drop-in seeks to provide a safe, friendly and non-judgemental environment for sharing your experiences, a place to perform (if you wish) and of course chocolate!
Tracey will tell you a little about her own nerve-racking experiences and if shes feeling brave, will happily share a song and a wee bit of guitar playing. She is still terribly frightened but has been told it “adds to her performances” in the local Folk Clubs, open mics and beyond. She believes there is no such thing as “bad” singing, poetry or prose; it is an expression from within, like painting.
Bring your voice, instrument and/or experiences for some fun and see what unfolds.
Find her in the cosy, and private area of the Lady Chapel in the Church between 11 o’clock and mid-day on Saturday 21st july.
All ages and abilities welcome; children to be accompanied by an adult.
The Mitcheldean Fete & Folk Festival 2017 has started with its usual Friday night entertainment at the Brewery Tap, but this year has seen a new twist with a Beer Festival (the biggest ever in the Forest of Dean according to the organisers) taking place at the Brewery’s HQ in the MEWs. The large festival marquee played host to an Open Mic stage with an acoustic session taking place inside the Brewery Tap which has been transformed into a Cider House for the duration of the Festival.
Saturday’s events include the traditional Fete which is getting bigger every year, as well as the showcase concert in the Church and live music in the Beer Festival Marquee. Get the full line-up by downloading a copy of this year’s programme.
Join us on Sunday for the traditional Folk Walk combining a countryside walk with several pubs and some great traditional songs.
Tom Atkinson started the proceedings at our Warm Up concert at the Brewery Tap on June 3rd, and set the bar very high for the other acts to follow. All his songs are easy to sing along to, and he soon had the audience joining in. It was great fun!
This is his version of “Everyone Sang” recorded on the night.
Thanks Tom!