THE lineup for this year's Leigh Folk Festival has been announced as excitement for the free summer event builds. 

The annual festival, held this year on June 25 to 28, sees thousands of people pack Leigh's streets, parks and Old Town to enjoy the world's largest free folk gathering. 

From singing shanties on the cobbles of Old Leigh to watching traditional folk music in Leigh's Library gardens there is something for the whole family in more than 20 indoor and outdoor venues.

This year’s festival starts on Thursday, June 25 and runs until Sunday, June 28.

In the festival's 24th year, there will the usual programme of diverse musical styles from  traditional and cutting-edge folk, roots, world music, Americana and associated genres, as well as dance display sides from the morris, rapper and clog traditions performing alongside contemporary and international styles, such as salsa and belly-dancing. 

Visitors can join in with the spirit of the day by taking part in ceilidhs, ‘singarounds’ and open mic sessions.

Among this year’s highlights will be a concert marking last year’s Topic Records double CD release entitled ‘Voice and Vision’ celebrating ‘Songs of Resistance, Democracy and Peace’, to be headlined by the legendary Scottish folk singer Dick Gaughan, ably supported by a number of Leigh Folk Festival regulars, including M.G. Boulter, Kiti Theobald, Jack Forbes, Adam Rees & Fran Morter, Piers Haslam and Brian Denny.

The concert will take place in St Clement’s Church on Saturday, June 27, and is one of the few ticketed, fundraising events at the festival. For updates, information and tickets, go to the festival’s recently re-launched website www.leighfolkfestival.com, as well as facebook and twitter pages.

Other highlights include:  

  • Performances by the veteran guitarist Wizz Jones 
  • Senegalese kora master Kadialy Kouyaté 
  • Bluegrass from Sid Griffin’s Coal Porters
  • Scotland’s Trembling Bells
  • London’s much acclaimed Stick in the Wheel 
  • ‘Tudor Tales’ from Norfolk storyteller Dave Tonge
  • Jackson Sloan & his Rhythmtones 
  • Pete Morton
  • Mawkin
  • Tenpole Tudor 
  • Wild Willy Barrett 
  • Big Eyes Family Players 
  • Ireland’s United Bible Studies

In 2014, the four-day festival included performances from more than 160 different acts.

Leigh Folk Festival is entirely run by unpaid volunteers.

As well as public donations and sponsorship by local businesses and authorities, for many years the festival has been supported financially by a number of trades associations and unions, a partnership which has been critical in ensuring this thriving event’s development and survival.