An overview of who’s on today. All information subject to change.
The festival programme with full details of locations and timings is available to purchase from the Whitby Folk Week Shop, as well as various venues in Whitby including Holmans, Arch & Abbey, Station Inn, Tourist Information and Whitby Pavilion.
Special Events
Whitby Festival Heather Garland Building – Come and add a sprig or two of heather to the traditional Whitby Heather Garland
Workshop Showcase – MC Sue Coe. A chance to see what everyone’s been learning throughout the week
Concerts
Alistair Russell – Annie Winter – Anthony & Heather Robb – Arthur Knevett – Crows – Culverake – Derek Schofield – Enda Kenny – Gordon Tyrrall – Helen Capes – Ian Russell – Janie Meneely & Rob van Sante – Jim & Lynette Eldon – Jim Murray & TGTHB – Jimmy Crowley & Eve Telford – John Kirkpatrick – Katie Howson & Roger Digby – Ken Wilson – Kevin Sheils – Lainey Dempsey – Martyn Wyndham-Read – Mossy Christian – Pete Coe – Rosie Stewart – Stanley Accrington – The Davenports – The Wilderness Yet – The Wilsons – Thomas McCarthy – Will & Pippa Noble – Will Noble – Wynton Moore
Ceilidhs & Dances
Final Family Ceilidh – The Hedgehog’s Skin; Martyn Harvey
Closing Contra Dance – Sam Tetley Smith; Fran & Philip
Final Ceilidh – Closing off the week are Drinks on the House & Bob Morgan followed by Threepenny Bit and John Brown, then the festival closing ceremony! Dance display by Southport Swords
Storytelling
Ailsa Dixon – Ffion Phillips – Mike Rust – Moe Keast
Talks, Chats & Interviews
The Doc Rowe Show (3 Of 3) – The last of Doc’s contributions for 2025
Whitby Interviews – Martin Graebe talks to Will Noble
Presentation – “Songlines” is the second of Thomas McCarthy’s documentaries, made for RTE, and focuses on traveller singers around Ireland. The youngest he recorded was 10 and the eldest 94. Together the two films had a record number of viewers
Presentation – Shonaleigh and Simon Heywood present Tower of Bagel, a tale of dark dreams, bright hopes and a child’s cradle made of pastry
Workshops
Running Set Dance Workshop – Lead by Annabel & Nigel Sharp and Morris Oxford
English Tunes Practice Session – Spare Parts Concertina Band. Mixed ability, learning by ear and from dots
Festival Orchestra (6 of 6) – with Carol Dawson & Steve Le Voguer
Beginners Whistle Workshop – with May Cheadle
Irish Set Dance Workshop – Jerry O’Reilly & Rosie Davis will teach the Baile Bhuirne Reel Set
Tai Chi Quan Workshop (4 of 4) – with Melvin Samuel
North West Morris Workshop (2 of 2) – with Rivington Morris
Longsword Workshop (5 of 5) – with Southport Swords
Cotswold Workshop – Sussex Junction will teach Alice Springs – a unique and lively dance from the Hastings RX tradition with never a boring back-to-back in sight. Suitable for beginners to intermediate
Shape Note Singing (5 of 5) – Four-part harmony shape note singing with Phil Tyler. No experience necessary.
Anglo Concertina Workshop – What Are The Options? – An introduction to the range of alternative fingerings and cross-rowing that the Anglo offers. Roger Digby
English Concertina Workshop (2 of 2) – An Introduction to English concertina technique for beginners and improvers, with Alex Wade
Beginners Clog Workshop (5 of 5) – with Camden Clog
Music Workshop (2 of 2) – David Oliver Learn by Ear, Play by Heart
Rapper Workshop (4 of 4) – with Whip the Cat Rapper & Clog
Singing In Harmony Workshop (6 of 6) – with Carolyn Robson & Moira Craig. No experience necessary
Flag & Bone Dance Morris Workshop (3 of 3) – with Flag & Bone Gang
American Dance Workshop – Waves and Dolphins with Lynne Render: Contras and maybe the odd square involving various types of waves with some dolphin heys thrown into the mix. We are at the seaside after all! Some contra dance experience neccesary. With Fran & Philip
Playford For All Workshop – A fun and informal introduction to Playford dancing! Lead by Jemima Swain. With Drinks on the House
Intermediate Whistle Workshop – with May Cheadle
Next Steps In Playford Workshop (6 of 6) – Grand Finale – with Thomas Bending, see Page XX for details. With Mollie and Joshua
Children & Young People
Playtime For Children Aged 3 To 6 (Under 3 Welcome With An Adult) – Come and join the Playtime team. There will be an opportunity to join in crafts, playdough, games, stories, songs and dance
Playworks For Children Aged 7 To 11 – Children will be able to participate in a range of crafts, games and songs, and lots of silliness with the Playworks team
Longsword For Children Aged 7 To 14 – Children have the opportunity to learn a range of longsword dances with Sue Coe and Mossy Christian