Kimpton Folk Festival 2026

30/05/2026

Wow, it’s hot, hot, hot! Festival season is hotting up and we are 6 weeks away from Kimpton Folk Festival! What have we got for you? Four amazing indoor ticketed concerts featuring top folk acts: Edwina Hayes, Sherburn Bartley Sanders, Culverake, Honey and the Bear, Granny’s Attic, Michell, Pfeiffer and Kulesh, Bolt and Geoghegan, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, and finally our headline act, Merry Hell.

You can buy your ticket in one of three ways: an all day ticket giving you access to all four concerts spread throughout the day, from 11.30 am to 11pm! That is the best value! Or an afternoon ticket allows you into the first three concerts. Finally an evening ticket gets you in to just the evening concert. It’s up to you!!!

In addition… yes, there’s more! A whole day of free programming on the Village Green outdoor stage, with music, morris dancing, local choirs and…. Drum roll…Joe Broughton’s Conservatoire Folk Ensemble!!!! Don’t forget the early evening Ceilidh! And our latest booking for the Green… I was at a folk festival in Ibiza recently and saw a fabulous local band who got the whole crowd up on their feet. There is a clue in their name…The Thumping Tommys!!!

If all that is not enough, there is the Family Area on the Upper Green, with music, dancing, puppet shows, theatre workshops… actually so much on offer there I am going to save it for another post!

Of course there will be yummy food stalls and music sessions and food on the Boot pub…. So much to take in that I suggest you go and have a lie down, look at our website and book your tickets now!!!!

Www.Kimptonfolk.uk

23/05/2026

One extra act announced for the 2026 Kimpton Folk Festival!

Fantastic news for anyone planning to come to this year's Kimpton Folk Festival on Saturday, July 4. We can now announce that Joe Broughton’s Conservatoire Folk Ensemble will be joining our already amazing line-up.

The 50-strong band of hugely talented young musicians are led by Joe Broughton and percussionist Tom Chapman, who you probably know from the Urban Folk Quartet.

The Folk Ensemble will be playing on the Kimpton village green stage in mid-afternoon in a gap between concerts in the Church and Memorial Hall, so no-one attending the festival will miss a thing.

Book tickets for the festival at https://www.kimptonfolk.uk/.

Having formed as a trio when barely out of short trousers, Granny’s Attic have grown into one of most exciting and accomplished acts on the British folk scene. Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (melodeon, concertina,), George Sansome (guitar) and Lewis Wood (violin) have carved out success...

17/05/2026

Our lovely festival patrons, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, getting all excited about this year’s line-up, which includes their Patrons’ concert. Hear all about it, get as excited as they are, then go ahead and book your tickets! Go to www.kimptonfolk.uk for further info and tickets. See you there!

10/05/2026

https://youtu.be/hwt6Yr1qpvI?si=S-isxftK

Just in case you have forgotten, I wanted to remind you that our fabulous headline act this year is the wonderful Merry Hell, coming down from Oop North to infect us with their folk rock energy and humour….they are really not to be missed! Get your tickets while you can, at www.kimptonfolk.uk. Come and join the party that only Merry Hell can provide!

Recorded live at Lion Salt Works in Northwich - featured on the acoustic album 'Anthems to the Wind'It is a message to mothers everywhere. Hey Mama - leave ...

03/05/2026

03/05/2026

It’s the Merry, Merry Month of May! And you can make it even More Merry by booking your tickets for Kimpton Folk Festival 2026! It’s July 4th, and it’s the smallest most bijou one day festival, held in the heart of the most gorgeous Hertfordshire village, Kimpton. Check out all the acts and decide if you want an afternoon ticket (access to three concerts), an evening ticket (access to one concert ): or an absolute bargain All Day ticket which allows access to all four concerts. See our website for more information and to Book your tickets now!

Having formed as a trio when barely out of short trousers, Granny’s Attic have grown into one of most exciting and accomplished acts on the British folk scene. Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (melodeon, concertina,), George Sansome (guitar) and Lewis Wood (violin) have carved out success...

24/04/2026

Well, here’s me heading to Costa Del Folk in Ibiza, to do some talent spotting for Kimpton Festival next year! This year is booked right up of course, with fabulous acts including our Patrons, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, Granny’s Attic, Honey and the Bear..not forgetting our fabulous headline act, Merry Hell! And in addition to these indoor ticketed concerts ( unaffected by anything the weather throws at us, so buy your ticket with confidence!) there is a whole day’s worth of FREE entertainment in The Green, and in the Family Area. An extra special bonus on The Green this year is Joe Boughton’s Conservatoire Ensemble…over 50 musicians gathered in the grass for an amazing hour of music…so bring your dancing shoes! For more information on all of this….go to,or I website, www.kimptonfolk.uk and put Saturday July 4th in your diary now!

Having formed as a trio when barely out of short trousers, Granny’s Attic have grown into one of most exciting and accomplished acts on the British folk scene. Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne (melodeon, concertina,), George Sansome (guitar) and Lewis Wood (violin) have carved out success...

14/04/2026

Wow, do we have an announcement for you! (Yes we do!) Do you remember the amazing The Urban Folk Quartet who headlined here at Kimpton a couple of years ago? Of course you do! Well that band was started by Joe Broughton...and I will tell you a bit more about him here...

Joe Broughton was born in Macclesfield in 1976, his dad was a guitar player and his mum was an artist. At the age of four Joe took up the drums to accompany his 9 year old brother Ben, who was already singing the blues and playing a mean guitar. This was the beginnings of a duo that is still ongoing 30 years later!

The violin captured Joe's imagination in 1981 and he took an interest in folk, classical, blues and jazz music from the word go. He also took up the mandolin, guitar and piano before reaching his 10th birthday. He has also been a circus performer, but that is another story...

In 1994 Joe went to Birmingham Conservatoire to study composition under the great John Mayer. Joe was awarded the composition prize in 1996 and later an honary membership of the Conservatoire which carries the designation HonBC.

In 1998 Joe was invited to lead the Conservatoire Folk Ensemble which he has built into a 50 piece touring band. Many successful musicians have passed through the ensemble and it continues to amaze audiences up and down the UK on its annual spring tour. Joe has taught composition, jazz violin and folk fiddle at Birmingham Conservatoire as well as running a folk ensemble there and at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. His legendary enthusiasm and inspirational teaching is much in demand and he has taught many of the young stars of the present folk scene including Sam Sweeney, Jim Moray, Ruth Angell, Damien O'Kane, Katriona Gilmore, The Old Dance School, Jack McNeil and Charlie Heys amongst others.

Joe played with the all star fiddle band Feast of Fiddles for several years and put in a guest appearance with Bellowhead at the BBC Proms in the Park playing the whole set for the first time with no rehearsal and from memory in front of 40,000 people!

In 2008 Joe formed his own band, The Urban Folk Quartet, (Remember....they headlined Kimpton Festival a couple of years ago.!)

****ANNOUNCEMENT*** We are absolutely delighted to invite Joe back with his Conservatoire Ensemble of over 50 players, continuing his mission to make music as accessible to the widest possible range of people through workshops and large scale projects as possible.

This has taken some organising, with two coach loads of musicians and their instruments coming down from Birmingham, especially to play on The Green in the afternoon, when there will be gap between the paid indoor concerts, so that as many people as possibe can gather on The Green to hear their amazing performance!

This will be a very special free performance at the Festival, and we hope you will join us for the biggest show ever seen on The Green!

72 likes, 6 comments. "Joe Broughton's Conservatoire Folk Ensemble, Frank's Reel Set, 25th Anniversary Concert, 2022"

08/04/2026

As well as a real ale bar, the lovely Peter will be bringing his La Scolata pizza van…he provided the excellent pizza we ate at the Ceilidh a couple of weeks ago. So rock up early, order your beer and pizza, sit back and enjoy the music!!!

31/03/2026

Early bird ticket prices end midnight tonight. Save money on your festival tickets booking before then. https://www.kimptonfolk.co.uk