A FINE feast of folk will be filling the streets and venues of Holmfirth next month.

The Holmfirth Festival of Folk returns on May 11-13 with a wealth of international and local artists, workshops and family entertainment.

Headliners include folk veterans Blowzabella. Formed in 1978 Blowzabella, who play experimental drone-based music, have been a major influence on artists on the avant-garde edge of folk.

Other highlights include Irish duo Chris Sherburn and Denny Bartley who have been sharing their jigs and reels with audiences in Europe and the USA since the 1990s.

Huddersfield and West Yorkshire will be well represented this year with sets from Holmfirth-based Americana singer Maria Wallace and Roger Davies, who has composed songs about Huddersfield Town and Brighouse, appearing on the Saturday night.

Other popular attractions include the annual procession and dance display on May 12, as well as ceilidhs, singarounds, maypole dancing, belly dancing, and a circus skills workshop.

Guests can learn Appalachian dancing, a form of dance developed by English and Irish immigrants to the USA mixed with African-American movements.

This year’s festival has been organised by The Nook Brewhouse, Holmfirth.

Nick Mason, of the Nook, said: “There’ll be street entertainers and lots of different singarounds and music in all corners of the town.

“Every year there’s a good atmosphere and it’s really packed. The festival completely transforms the town centre.”

But Nick said the festival needs help from volunteers and donors.

He said: “This year we urgently need to find at least another £200 to help towards the cost of traffic management for the Saturday parade.

“The parade is a spectacular highlight of the festival, bringing large crowds onto the streets of Holmfirth. It would be a real shame for us to lose this focal point of the festival’s timetable.

“We are looking for the support of local people or businesses to ensure we can continue in style this year. If anybody can donate funds to the festival it would help ensure continued success and would be much appreciated by the festival committee and the town traders alike.”

For the full line-up visit:

http://holmfirthfestivaloffolk.co.uk.

The festival is also looking for stewards to help with some of the workshops.

Anyone interested in supporting the Holmfirth Folk Festival should contact Nick: 07841 646308 or email: commitee@holmfirthfestivaloffolk.co.uk