01/02/2026
Happy Imbolc! Imbolc is a time for new growth and we thought this would be an excellent moment to keep you updated on a couple of things:
Firstly, Once&Future won’t be returning this year, but we are planning something even bigger and better for 2027. Our inaugural festival was an absolute joy and we’re so grateful to all of the artists, academics, makers, and audience members who joined us and participated.
This year, we’re taking time to reflect on what worked and what didn’t, and to grow Once&Future in a way that truly serves the folk community of Brighton and beyond. With a focus on collaboration and accessibility, we’re bringing together a team and space that lets the festival bloom to its full potential. The format is shifting slightly, but the heart is the same, and we can’t wait to bring together artists, academics, and communities to uncover hidden histories, challenge inherited narratives, and imagine new futures for tradition. Details are still bubbling away, but rest assured, exciting plans are in the works!
Secondly, we’ve signed charter, as a declaration of our beliefs as part of a wider community:
1.
KEEP FOLK OPEN
Folk is ordinary culture made by ordinary people. The Folk Union supports projects that keep it accessible and inclusive.
2.
STAND AGAINST RACISM & EXCLUSION
No nationalism. No gatekeeping. When you sign up to The Folk Union, you show that your project rejects reactionary politics.
3.
PROTECT THE CULTURAL COMMONS
Projects should avoid treating folk culture as a product. They share culture openly and credit everyone fairly.
4.
ENCOURAGE FAIRNESS & ETHICAL PRACTICE
Fair fees, good treatment of participants, transparency and honesty.
5.
CARE FOR LAND & ENVIRONMENT
Folk and landscape are deeply linked. The Folk Union supports projects commited to protecting the environment.
We’re excited to keep working away under the soil so that we can all bloom together next spring to once more unleash folklore, folk culture, and folk horror across the arts!
