Heartfelt thanks to everyone for all their support following the announcement that this year’s 66th Sidmouth Folk Festival is cancelled. It is obviously a terrible blow for all of us – organisers, artists, volunteers, traders, local business and supporters, but we will be back!

Special thanks to everyone who rolled already over their tickets to 2021 or is still planning to do so, that’s a huge help and very much appreciated. We are acutely aware what a difficult time this is financially for so many people but have also been bowled over by your generosity in seeking to help secure a bright future of the festival for future generations.

Your first drink at the Festival is on us! Just collect a voucher when you pick up your tickets at the Box Office.

Special thanks too to all the people who donated to the Festival through Ticketsolve or Just Giving. You have given us a great start in offsetting the huge losses incurred by the cancellation of this year’s Festival. For Just Giving donors, please email us with your name at abm.festival@gmail.com if you would like to be included in the Champions’ Wall credits at the 2021 Festival.

We will make it through, with your support, and we will be back, together, enjoying the best of folk music, dance and song with friends, new and old, in this very special location. Your loyalty, love and commitment to this unique event and your desire to see it continue to flourish will help us breathe life into the future of The Sidmouth Folk Festival, and build a legacy for future generations. Your contribution really does matter.

We are about to launch an exciting Crowdfunder campaign in response to that generosity of spirit, offering some amazing rewards in return for those of you who are able to help us at this trying time.   

Find out more about the new Crowdfunder campaign…

The campaign Be A Sidmouth Champion: Act now to secure the future of this unique folk arts event… starts on 30th June and runs through until 4th August, which would have been the Tuesday of the festival. Look out for more updates here and on social media as the story builds.

The COVID-19 crisis has hit us hard, really hard. It costs us a lot of money – over £700,000 – to stage this iconic festival. At the point of unavoidable cancellation, 20% of our 2020 budget had been spent on marketing, the artistic and production planning, deposits and ticket overheads. With its huge size, complexity and duration, the festival only ever makes a small surplus (all of which is ploughed into the next festival), and sometimes not at all (those wet and windy days!).

For us to bounce back next year stronger than ever – and to support the wider festival community and local businesses – we need Champions to contribute to our new Crowdfunding appeal…and to choose some exciting, exclusive rewards in return.

All funds pledged will go into supporting and securing the future of The Sidmouth Folk Festival,assisting with the Festival’s operational costs, covering some of the 2020 costs incurred and helping to secure a brighter future for the event.

Amongst the fantastic rewards planned are some 1:1 masterclasses with top festival artists; relaxing weekend breaks in Sidmouth hotels; some great bespoke merchandise; special supporter events at the 2021 Festival; prime motorhome site offers; great long-term ticket offers and a unique creation by Aardman Animations, the world famous creators of Wallace & Gromit, and Shaun the Sheep…and many more.

There will be exciting and exclusive rewards on offer, no matter what size of donation you can afford, for all parts of our festival community so look out for more details to come soon, and, most importantly, please do spread the word.

More good news…

Look forward to a Virtual 66th Sidmouth Folk Festival in the first week of August this year with contributions from many parts of the festival, including concert performances, workshops, the famous John Gasson Jig Competition, storytelling and much more. Thanks to those who were straight out of the blocks after the cancellation offering to take part in such an event. Look out for more details over the coming weeks.

We are all desperate to see festival life return, and we want to guarantee that return of The Sidmouth Folk Festival will be a genuine cause for celebration in 2021, and back to its full glory forever after. Thanks again for all your support and keep looking out for more exciting developments in the next few weeks.