HOLMFIRTH was in fine tune at the weekend as its annual Festival of Folk was staged.

People of all ages packed into the town’s streets, pubs and concert halls to drink in the festivities.

Related content

Highlights of the weekend included a lively ceilidh with folk rock band Blackbeard’s Tea Party, which was held in the Civic Hall.

The SheShanties held a shanty singing session, while musical duo Cherrington and Ward entertained at the Old Bridge Hotel.

The Nook held a singaround while Victoria Park was the setting for dancing with performances from Moldovian dancers.

Pupils from local schools showcased their talents in a concert held in the Methodist Church grounds.

There were also performances from singer-songwriter Roger Davies, modern folk singer Jake Manning and a closing concert with Ray Padgett and award-winning performer John Tams.

Organiser Alex Bywaters said that although numbers were down this year because of the weather, the festival was still a big success.

He said: “It’s been a wonderful festival and there were still lots of people lining the streets, in the pubs and going to the gigs.

“We’ve tried hard with the festival this year and changed one or two areas.

“Before we had two paying gigs and we’ve now got four and a higher quality of artists like John Tams, who is really well known.

“One of the highlights was the ceilidh with Blackbeard’s Tea Party, which was absolutely packed.

Plans are already under way for next year’s festival, which is likely to be inspired by the anniversary of World War One.

Related content

Alex said: “There are lots of artists with albums being released at that time which will have this theme and I’m sure the schools will get really involved.

“A lot of people come back year after year and the magic of it is the community aspect. The festival has a friendly, feel-good factor and people love to come for the atmosphere in the pubs and on the street.”