Folksome fest bids farewell with global tunes

Saturday 06 July 2019

A much-loved folk festival on the tiny island of Sark is returning for its swan song this weekend with world-class folk acts and local talent.

Thousands of Channel Islanders will make the journey over to Sark to enjoy a full programme of acts over three days beginning on Friday including headliners Kate Rusby (England), Breabach (Scotland) and Moxie (Ireland) as part of the Sark Folk Festival.

In addition, acts from South Africa, Scandinavia and France join an international line-up fitting for the festival's reputation on the world stage (full line up below). Sark Shipping shipped 670 on Thursday and expected 1,400 to travel over on Friday alone, including a mix of day-trippers and festival-goers. 

The Sark Folk Festival took a fallow year last year when Sark Summer Festival stood in its place and new festival Roots took hold for a third time. It's set to be an emotional weekend for those who have built up an affinity with the island as a direct result of seeing it in its full glory on festival weekends. But it could soon rise again, phoenix-like.

Video: The Sark Folk Festival is returning for the 9th and final year in its current guise.

Bailiwick Folk and Roots (BFR), organisers, announced earlier this year that 2019 would see the last Sark Folk Festival in its current form for some time. "The focus for 2020 and beyond will be on holding folk and roots music events in different locations around the Bailiwick, each capturing the magic of the well-known weekend festival," they said.

"The now iconic Sark Folk Festival was first held in 2010 and has been run, every year, by a dedicated group of volunteer musicians on a not-for-profit basis. Over the last nine years the festival has donated over £25,000 to Sark charities from the proceeds of the event."

While they have not ruled out a return of the Sark Folk Festival, the organisers have confirmed the three day festival will not be making an appearance for the next few years. More details on events planned for 2020 will be announced later in the year.

"The Committee would like to thank everyone who has supported the festival in any way over the past 10 years as without that support, it would have been impossible to create and maintain such a special and unique event," they said.