The Ham is our main concert marquee venue, programmed with three top drawer headline concerts each day at the festival. Based at the part of Sidmouth town named the Ham, where the River Sid meets the sea.
At the Festival rate Tickets for all the Ham Concerts on sale – BOOK NOW.
Artists announced for The Ham include:
Acoustic powerhouse duo, Show of Hands, Le Vent du Nord, Saltlines – a wonderful reimagining of traditional songs and tunes collected from the South West coast path with Gigspanner Big Band and The Salt Path best-selling author Raynor Winn; Teeside trio The Young Un’s with their trademark heart-on-the-sleeve storytelling, beautiful lyrics, warm harmonies and relentless repartee; The Unthanks, with their transcendent sibling harmonies and “nuanced drama, burnished with mournful strings and lonely brass.” Lindisfarne, the legendary 70s folk-rock pioneers fronted by Rod Clements with a repertoire of unforgettable songs like Meet Me On The Corner and Fog On The Tyne, and one of the finest exponents of traditional Irish song, Cara Dillon entwining traditional and contemporary elements to brilliant effect!
Breabach, one of Scotland’s most skilled and imaginative contemporary folk acts, with deep Highland and Island roots fused with the innovative musical ferment of their Glasgow city base. McCusker McGoldrick Doyle, masters of flute, fiddle, song and guitar, take us on a thrilling trip through traditional, contemporary and original jigs, reels, ballads and more. Lady Maisery’s “most exquisite vocal harmony work on the English folk scene” with material from their acclaimed album Tender; Leveret, celebrating ten years of this unique collaboration between three of England’s finest folk musicians; singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Angeline Morrison performing traditional song with deep love, respect and curiosity, including her vital exploration of black voices in British folk song; John Tams, the iconic voice of Derbyshire and one of England’s greatest living songwriters; a moving Tribute to Paul Sartin, the multi-talented musician whose sudden death in 2022 sent shockwaves throughout the folk scene; the mighty Anglo-French dance music-inspired Topette!!; the genre-bending Banter, mixing Morris tunes, soulful vocals and raucous chorus songs, folk/rock band The Magpie Arc featuring Nancy Kerr, Martin Simpson, Findlay Napier, Tom A. Wright and Alex Hunter, the iconic Maddy Prior with her new song project Forgotten Lands. Martin Carthy in conversation with Jon Wilks, Eliza Carthy Trio, Brighde Chaimbeul, From Pub to Pulpit with Coracle & Broomdasher…
An All-In-One gives you access to all events and workshops for the whole festival. You can also get to the two Pre-Festival concerts at seriously reduced prices.
Week, Weekend and Day season tickets give access to all events except the Ham Evening concerts for the period of your ticket. Season tickets give considerable discounts for Ham Evening concerts. BOOK NOW
Saltlines – the Gigspanner Big Band
The Ham is our main concert marquee venue, programmed with three top drawer headline concerts each day at the festival. The centrepiece for festival concerts, The Ham is close to Port Royal at the eastern end of the Esplanade. The Ham provides a comfortable seated-venue for three first class concerts each day – lunchtime, afternoon and evening. Most concerts feature a headline act playing 60-90 minutes plus a support act playing 30-40 minutes before an interval.
There’s a well-stocked Foyer Bar and dedicated toilets for concert patrons including disabled facilities. Outside the venue you’ll find the Ham Lawn which hosts the Festival Merchandise and artists’ CD stall. Circling the lawn, you’ll find a range of tasty food and drink outlets and a bar area with picnic benches. A great area to soak up the festival atmosphere!
