Our wide-reaching workshop programme offers hundreds of opportunities to learn, create, and develop new skills within a secure, inclusive community of teachers and learners.
With both breadth and depth, the annual programme brings together perennial favourites and exciting new innovations.
Across the week you can dip into one-off taster sessions or commit to in-depth series, many of which culminate in showcase performances. With over 250 workshops covering music, dance, song, crafts, storytelling, talks, and more, there’s truly something for everyone.
Whether you want to join a singing session, spend the week in a scratch band, learn a new instrument, or simply try something entirely new, you’ll find a warm, welcoming environment and plenty of like-minded people to share the experience with.
If there is a particular workshop you want to see at Sidmouth, let us know here.
This year’s workshop programme is already shaping up to be something special, with an inspiring mix of music, dance, song, spoken word, and creative sessions.
Workshop downloads can be found here.
Highlights include
● John Kirkpatrick with the Festival Concert Band
● Nick & Mary Barber leading the Sidmouth Big Band
● Janice Burns & Jon Doran’s Festival Choir
● Matt Sullivan exploring Rhumba Guitar
● Jannette Stewart with Well-Known Tunes at a Steady Pace
● Ilse Pedler’s Poetry for All and Spoken Word Open Mic
● Introduction to Calling with Michael Catovsky
● John Dipper – Fiddle
● Norma Mills – Folkulele
● Neil & Meg Browning – Manouche Jazz, and Music Theory for Folkies
● Squeezebox From Scratch – Melodeon
● Seb Stone – Carols
● Early Music & Dance with Terry Mann & James Larcombe, and Dancing Mister Tim Walker
● Creative Making and Mindful Mornings at The Bulverton
One-off workshops include Harmony Singing with Windborne, 5-string Banjo for Beginners.
And of course, our dance programme spans a huge range, from Bal to Bhangra, Regency to Rapper, Scandi to Swing, Contra to Cotswold, with workshops running from morning till night. Levels range from absolute beginners to masterclasses, and there’s no need to bring a partner for any of the dance sessions.
Add to that Morning Singarounds, Themed singarounds, Late Night Songs, and informal sessions throughout the week (don’t miss the Middle Bar Singers) – and you’ve got everything you need to immerse yourself in the welcoming, hands-on participation culture that makes Sidmouth so special!
tickets
All in One & Season Tickets get you into all, or any, of the workshops….as many or as often as you like. For non-season tickets holders Workshop-only Ticket bundles are also available, and individual tickets may be available on the door.
Talks & Explorations
Broaden your folk knowledge through insightful talks, presentations and more. Look out for more programme details coming soon.
| Event | Artist | Venue | Time | Day |
| Craft and more | ||||
| Book Binding | Hayley Banks | The Bulverton | 10:00 – 11:00 am | Sun, Thu |
| Cold Formed Metal | Mark Clarke | The Bulverton | 4:00 – 6:00 pm | Thu |
| Community Project | Mark Clarke | The Bulverton | 4:00 – 6:00 pm | Sat |
| Cyanotypes | Andy Banks | The Bulverton | 10:00 – 11:00 am | Tue |
| Fantasy Film Resin Flowers | Heather Clarke | The Bulverton | 4:00 – 6:00 pm | Sun |
| Leather Craft | Jack Hopper | The Bulverton | 4:00 – 6:00 pm | Mon |
| Plantable Clay Pots | Sophie Dickinson | The Bulverton | 10:00 – 11:00 am | Mon |
| Recycled Fabric Weaving | Belle Hopper | The Bulverton | 4:00 – 6:00 pm | Tue |
| Sashiko | Heather Clarke | The Bulverton | 10:00 – 11:00 am | Fri 7 |
| Skateboarding | Kirsty Smith | Port Royal | 6:30 – 7:15 pm | Fri 31 |
| Sketching and Drawing | Andy and Hayley Banks | The Bulverton | 10:00 – 11:00 am | Wed |
| Smocking | Ruth Hopper | The Bulverton | 10:00 – 11:00 am | Sat |
| Soapstone Carving | Andy Banks | The Bulverton | 4:00 – 6:00 pm | Wed |
| Sound Bath | Ben Matthews | Primary School Hall | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Sun |
| Sound Bath | Ben Matthews | Primary School Hall | 12:00 – 1:30 pm | Fri 7 |
| Tai Chi Taster Session | Sam Forder | Primary School Hall | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Wed |
| Yoga | Sarah Moss | Primary School Hall | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Sun, Tue |
| Dance | ||||
| Accessible Ceilidh | Roary Neat and Janet Bell | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 11:15 – 12:30 pm | Wed |
| American Dance | Geoff Cubitt | Blackmore Gardens Marquee | 9:30 – 10:55 am | Wed, Thu |
| An Introduction to Dance Calling | Michael Catovsky | All Saints Church Hall | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Mon-Wed |
| Bal Dance | Kerry Fletcher | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Sat, Mon, Wed, Fri |
| Balkan Folkdance | Cathy Meunier | All Saints Church Hall | 12:30 – 2:00 pm | Wed, Fri |
| Balkan Folkdance | Cathy Meunier | All Saints Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Thu |
| Bhangra Dance | Avtar Indian Dance | All Saints Church Hall | 4:00 – 5:00 pm | Sat |
| Bhangra Dance | Avtar Indian Dance | All Saints Church Hall | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Thu |
| Border Morris | Kittiwake Border Morris | The Bulverton | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Sun |
| Border Morris | Kittiwake Border Morris | The Bulverton | 11:15 – 12:45 pm | Tue |
| Border Morris | Mary Rose and Royal George Morris | The Bulverton | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Thu, Fri |
| Border Morris (Sea-front) | Wild Thyme | Esplanade: York Steps | 11:00 – 12:00 pm | Mon-Fri |
| Breton Dance | Kerry Fletcher | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Tue |
| Clog Dance | Lancashire Wallopers | The Bulverton | 9:30 – 10:45 am | Sat |
| Clog Dance | Lancashire Wallopers | The Bulverton | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Wed |
| Contra Dance | Charlie Turner | Blackmore Gardens Marquee | 11:05 – 12:30 pm | Wed |
| Contra Dance | Geoff Cubitt | Blackmore Gardens Marquee | 9:30 – 10:55 am | Sat, Sun, Tue, Fri |
| Contra Dance | Louise Siddons | Blackmore Gardens Marquee | 11:05 – 12:30 pm | Sat, Mon, Fri |
| Contra Dance | Sam Tetley Smith | Methodist Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Sat |
| Contra Dance | Sam Tetley Smith | Blackmore Gardens Marquee | 11:05 – 12:30 pm | Sun |
| Contra Dance | Sam Tetley Smith | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Thu |
| Contra for all! | Louise Siddons | Blackmore Gardens Marquee | 11:05 – 12:30 pm | Tue |
| Cotswold Morris | Clausentum Morris | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Mon |
| Cotswold Morris | Clausentum Morris | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 11:15 – 12:45 pm | Thu |
| Cotswold Morris | Moulton Morris Men | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Wed |
| Cotswold Morris | Moulton Morris Men | The Bulverton | 11:15 – 12:45 pm | Fri 7 |
| Cotswold Morris | The Outside Capering Crew | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 11:00 – 12:15 pm | Sat |
| Cotswold Morris | The Outside Capering Crew | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 11:15 – 12:45 pm | Tue |
| Dance – Absolute Beginners | Kerry Fletcher | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 3:50 – 5:10 pm | Fri 31 |
| Early Dance | Tim Walker, Terry Mann & James Larcombe | Methodist Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Mon, Tue |
| Early Dance | Tim Walker, Terry Mann & James Larcombe | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Fri |
| Early Dance Music | Terry Mann & James Larcombe | Methodist Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Sun |
| ECD and Morris Dance Discussion | Ann Elisabeth Hinchliffe / Chris Toyne | Methodist Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Wed |
| English Dance | Charlie Turner | Methodist Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Mon |
| English Dance | Charlie Turner | Methodist Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Thu |
| English Dance | Mark Elvins | Methodist Church Hall | 9:30 – 10:55 am | Wed, Fri |
| English Dance – Beginners | Andrew Swaine | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Sun |
| Introduction to Playford Dance | Andrew Swaine | Methodist Church Hall | 9:30 – 10:55 am | Mon |
| Irish Set Dance | Carol & Kevin Monaghan | Methodist Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Tue |
| Irish Set Dance | Carol & Kevin Monaghan | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Sat-Mon |
| Longsword | Orion Longsword | The Bulverton | 11:15 – 12:45 pm | Mon |
| Longsword | Orion Longsword | The Bulverton | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Tue |
| Mixed Social Dance | Mark Elvins | Methodist Church Hall | 9:30 – 10:55 am | Thu |
| Molly Dance | Ouse Washes Molly Dancers | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 11:15 – 12:45 pm | Mon |
| Molly Dance | Ouse Washes Molly Dancers | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Tue |
| Nordic Dance Tunes | Chris Dyer | Methodist Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Sun |
| North West Morris | Chelmsford Morris | The Bulverton | 11:15 – 12:45 pm | Wed, Thu |
| North West Morris | Old Speckled Hen | The Bulverton | 11:00 – 12:15 pm | Sat |
| North West Morris | Old Speckled Hen | The Bulverton | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Mon |
| Ottawa Valley Clog Waltz | Laura Robertson and members of Instep | All Saints Church Hall | 2:10 – 3:40 pm | Tue, Wed |
| Playford Dance | Andrew Swaine | Methodist Church Hall | 11:05 – 12:30 pm | Sat, Thu |
| Playford Dance | Andrew Swaine | Methodist Church Hall | 9:30 – 10:55 am | Sat, Tue |
| Rapper Dance | Black Swan Rapper | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Thu, Fri |
| Rapper Dance | Silver Flame Rapper | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 9:30 – 10:45 am | Sat, Sun |
| Regency Dance | Ann Elisabeth Hinchliffe | Methodist Church Hall | 11:05 – 12:30 pm | Mon-Wed |
| Regency Dance | Ann Elisabeth Hinchliffe | Methodist Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Thu |
| Scandi Dance | Andy Parr | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Tue, Wed |
| Seated Step Dance | Laura Robertson | All Saints Church Hall | 12:30 – 2:00 pm | Thu |
| Solo Jazz Dance | Hannah Moore | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 11:30 – 12:50 pm | Sun |
| Square Dance | Geoff Cubitt | Blackmore Gardens Marquee | 9:30 – 10:55 am | Mon |
| Square Dance | Geoff Cubitt | Methodist Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Sat |
| Square Dance | Geoff Cubitt | Methodist Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Wed |
| Square Dance | Geoff Cubitt | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Thu |
| Stepdancing in Clogs – Introduction | Alex Fisher from Instep | All Saints Church Hall | 2:10 – 3:40 pm | Mon |
| Swing Dance | Hannah Moore | All Saints Church Hall | 12:30 – 1:50 pm | Mon |
| Instrumental | ||||
| 5-String Banjo – Beginners | Reg Troubshort | Primary School Classroom | 1:30 – 3:00 pm | Sat |
| 5-String Banjo – Beginners | Reg Troubshort | Primary School Classroom | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sun |
| Advanced Guitar | Sam Carter | Guide HQ | 11:30 – 12:45 pm | Fri 7 |
| Big Tunes Session | Blowzabella | Blackmore Gardens Marquee | 2:15 – 3:45 pm | Mon |
| Bodhran – Improvers | Tess Livingstone | Primary School Hall | 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Wed |
| Bones – Beginners | Louisa Davies- Foley | Primary School Library | 12:00 – 1:30 pm | Mon |
| Bones – Improvers | Louisa Davies- Foley | Primary School Hall | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Wed |
| Bowed Strings | Rosie Rushton | Primary School Hall | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Mon |
| Brass | Tim Walker | Primary School Hall | 12:00 – 1:30 pm | Sun |
| E-flat B-flat Session | Nick and Mary Barber | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Fri 7 |
| Early Dance Music | Terry Mann & James Larcombe | Methodist Church Hall | 4:05 – 5:25 pm | Sun |
| English Fiddle | Tom Kitching | Guide HQ | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Wed |
| English Fiddle | John Dipper | Primary School Hall | 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Sun-Tue |
| English Tune Playing for Bowed Strings | Sam Sweeney & Grace Smith | Primary School Hall | 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Thu |
| Festival Concert Band | John Kirkpatrick | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Mon-Fri |
| Fiddle | Rowan Piggott | Primary School Library | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Tue |
| Fiddle | Sarah Matthews | Primary School Library | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sat |
| Fiddle Tunes and Technique | Matt Tighe | Primary School Hall | 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Fri 7 |
| Flamenco Guitar | Matt Sullivan | Primary School Hall | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Mon-Fri |
| Flamenco Rhythm | Matt Sullivan | Primary School Hall | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sat |
| Flamenco Rhythm | Matt Sullivan | Primary School Classroom | 1:30 – 3:00 pm | Sun |
| Folkulele – Beginners | Norma Mills | Guide HQ | 11:30 – 12:30 pm | Mon-Thu |
| Folkulele – Improvers | Norma Mills | Guide HQ | 3:30 – 4:30 pm | Mon-Thu |
| Foot Percussion – Beginners | Arthur Coates and Kerran Cotterell | Primary School Classroom | 4:00 – 5:00 pm | Tue |
| Irish Tune | Chan Reid | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Thu |
| Learn a Tune by Sight or Ear | Rosie Rushton | Guide HQ | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Tue |
| Manouche Jazz | Neil Browning | Primary School Library | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Sun |
| Manouche Jazz | Neil Browning | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sat |
| Melodeon | Doug Eunson | Primary School Library | 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Sat |
| Melodeon – Absolute Beginners | Squeezebox From Scratch | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Sun-Tue |
| Melodeon – Advanced | Saul Rose | Primary School Classroom | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Mon, Wed, Thu |
| Melodeon – Improvers | Squeezebox From Scratch | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Wed, Thu |
| Music Hall Melodeon | Luke Daniels | Primary School Library | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Thu |
| Music Theory for Folkies | Neil & Meg Browning | Primary School Library | 2:00 – 3:30 pm | Mon-Thu |
| Nordic Dance Tunes | Chris Dyer | Methodist Church Hall | 2:15 – 3:35 pm | Sun |
| Northumbrian Tunes Session | Camus | Royal York and Faulkner | 8.00 – 10.30pm | Tue |
| Playing for Dancing | Doug Eunson and Sarah Matthews | Guide HQ | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sun |
| Playing World Instruments in Folk Music | Jonathan Day | Primary School Classroom | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sat |
| Sheffield and Derbyshire Carols | Seb Stone | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Sat |
| Sheffield and Derbyshire Carols | Seb Stone | Methodist Church | 4:30 – 6:00 pm | Sun |
| Sidmouth Big Band | Nick and Mary Barber | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sun-Thu |
| Sight Reading | Robert Hickman | Guide HQ | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Thu |
| South Somerset Carolling | Alison Frosdick | Methodist Church | 4:30 – 6:00 pm | Tue |
| Tin Whistle – Beginners | Pat Brennan | Primary School Classroom | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Mon-Fri |
| Tin Whistle – Improvers | Bennery Quinn | St Teresa’s Church Hall | 11:15 – 12:45 pm | Fri 7 |
| Try the Northumbrian Pipes | Camus | Guide HQ | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Fri 7 |
| Tune & Song Family Session | Erin Brown & Barry Watson | Primary School Hall | 12:00 – 1:45 pm | Tue |
| Tunes Session | ExeterUni FolkSoc | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 1:30 – 3:00 pm | Sun |
| Well Known Tunes at a Steady Pace | Jannette Stewart | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 1:30 – 3:30 pm | Mon-Wed |
| West Gallery Music from Widecombe and the Moor | Mike Bailey and the West Gallery Music Association | Methodist Church | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Mon-Fri |
| The Best of Well Known Tunes at a Steady Pace | Jannette Stewart | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 6:00 – 7:30 pm | Thu |
| Song | ||||
| A Round of Rounds Song | Stream of Sound | Methodist Church | 2:30 – 4:00 pm | Fri 7 |
| Bringing a Song to Life | Rumpled Muslin | Primary School Hall | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Sat |
| Colourchord Big Sing | Jon Boden | The Bulverton | 7:00 – 8:00 pm | Sun |
| Community Song | Lucy Farrell | Manor Pavilion | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Mon, Wed |
| Family Shanty | She Shanties | Guide HQ | 1:30 – 2:45 pm | Sun |
| Harmony Singing | Stream of Sound | Methodist Church | 2:30 – 4:00 pm | Mon |
| Harmony Singing | The Wilderness Yet | Methodist Church | 2:30 – 4:00 pm | Sun |
| Harmony Singing | Windborne | All Saints Church Hall | 12:30 – 2:00 pm | Tue |
| Making the Words Stick | Amanda MacLean | Guide HQ | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Mon |
| Making the Words Stick | Amanda MacLean | Primary School Library | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Wed |
| Morning Singaround | Kitty Vernon / Tim Edwards | Royal York and Faulkner | 10:30 – 12:30 pm | Sun-Fri |
| Original Songwriting in a Folk Idiom | Jonathan Day | Primary School Classroom | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Mon |
| Pull Together – The true roots of shanties | Pressgang Mutiny | Manor Pavilion | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Fri 7 |
| Rise Up & Sing Paperless Choir | Methodist Church | 1:30 – 3:00 pm | Wed | |
| Sean-nós Singing | Chan Reid | Primary School Classroom | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Tue-Fri |
| Shape-note Singing | New Jerusalem | Methodist Church | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Mon-Fri |
| Sheffield and Derbyshire Carols | Seb Stone | Rugby Club 1st Floor | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Sat |
| Sheffield and Derbyshire Carols | Seb Stone | Methodist Church | 4:30 – 6:00 pm | Sun |
| Sidmouth Festival Choir | Janice Burns and Jon Doran | Manor Pavilion | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Sun-Fri |
| South Somerset Carolling | Alison Frosdick | Methodist Church | 4:30 – 6:00 pm | Tue |
| Storytelling in Harmony | Nancy Kerr | Primary School Classroom | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Mon |
| Trad songs from Georgia & The Balkans | Alison Frosdick from Rumpled Muslin | Manor Pavilion | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sun |
| Trad songs from Georgia & The Balkans | Alison Frosdick from Rumpled Muslin | Methodist Church | 4:30 – 6:00 pm | Thu |
| Tune & Song Family Session | Erin Brown & Barry Watson | Primary School Hall | 12:00 – 1:45 pm | Tue |
| West Gallery Music from Widecombe and the Moor | Mike Bailey and the West Gallery Music Association | Methodist Church | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Mon-Fri |
| West Gallery Sing (Sea-front) | West Gallery Music Association | Esplanade Shelter | 2:00 – 3:00 pm | Sun-Fri |
| Wise Woman Wake Up Choir | Wise Woman | Primary School Classroom | 9:30 – 11:00 am | Sun |
| Storytelling & Spoken Word | ||||
| Craft & Play of Traditional Storytelling | Hannah Moore | Primary School Library | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Tue |
| Fairy Tales for the Fearless | Hannah Moore | Primary School Classroom | 4:00 – 5:30 pm | Sat |
| Folk Tales for the Future | Lisa Schneidau | Primary School Library | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Thu |
| Poetry for All | Ilse Pedler | Royal Glen Hotel | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sun-Thu |
| Storyround | Moe Keast / Tom Goodale | Manor Pavilion Theatre Bar | 5:00 – 6:30 pm | Sat-Fri |
| Storytelling – Beginners | David Heathfield | Primary School Library | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Sun |
| Storytelling – Improvers | David Heathfield | Primary School Library | 11:30 – 1:00 pm | Fri |
| Storytelling Circle | Ean Richardson | Twyford House | 10:00 – 11:30 am | Sat, Mon-Fri |
| The Five W’s of Storytelling | Ean Richardson | Primary School Classroom | 1:30 – 3:00 pm | Mon-Fri |