Hello, and welcome to the first part of our Christmas listings! There’s absolutely loads coming up, so I’m sending the festive listings out in 2 parts. I’ve also gone for a different format this time so you can easily see what’s on each day and choose your favourites - the folk equivalent of circling things in the Radio Times! More events are popping up all the time, so keep an eye on this page and I’ll update it if possible.
You might notice a few repeats (after all, it wouldn’t be Christmas without them). As noted in our previous issue, McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle are doing a virtual tour to venues right across the UK, so I’ve marked on each date of the tour.
I haven’t made a new playlist this week, but you can check out our festive playlist if you haven’t already. Whatever you get up to over the festive season, I hope you have a wonderful time!
MONDAY 14 DECEMBER
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Christmas at Home: Nettlebed Village Club — 8pm GMT
Active Events in partnership with Nettlebed Village Club
Tickets from £12, with the option to pay more to support the musicians and venue.
TUESDAY 15 DECEMBER
Phil Beer - Live with Dartford Folk Club — 8pm GMT
Firebrand Music Events / Dartford Folk Club
Tickets £15 + booking fee
Covid Sings Christmas party — 8pm GMT
Soundpost on Zoom and streamed to Facebook
Free to attend
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Christmas at Home: WemsFest with Wickham & South Downs Folk Festivals — 8pm GMT
Active Events in partnership with WemsFest and Wickham & South Downs Folk Festivals
Tickets from £12, with the option to pay more to support the musicians and festivals.
WEDNESDAY 16 DECEMBER
A Winter’s Evening with Reg Meuross — 7.30pm GMT
Fromthewhitehouse/Company of Song - gig is on Zoom
Tickets available by making a donation.
A Winter Union — 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room - gig is on Zoom
Featuring Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, Katriona Gilmore and Jamie Roberts, and Jade Rhiannon of The Willows.
Tickets £14, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Christmas at Home: Selby Town Hall — 8pm GMT
Active Events in partnership with Selby Town Hall
Tickets from £12, with the option to pay more to support the musicians and venue.
THURSDAY 17 DECEMBER
Jez Lowe — 7.30pm GMT
Poppleton Live - gig is on Zoom
Tickets £10
Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer’s Midwinter Warmer — 7.30pm GMT
Gig hosted on Zoom
Tickets £8 single, £12 household
Grace Petrie & Ben Moss: Lock-In Lefty Christmas — 8pm GMT
Grace Petrie & Ben Moss - tickets available via Gigantic
Tickets £11, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Christmas at Home: The Live Room, Saltaire — 8pm GMT
Active Events in partnership with The Live Room, Saltaire
Tickets from £12, with the option to pay more to support the musicians and venue.
FRIDAY 18 DECEMBER
Folk on Foot: Richard Thompson in Muswell Hill
Folk on Foot website and podcast feed
Look out for a new episode of the Folk on Foot podcast being released today, featuring none other than Richard Thompson!
Free to listen, but you can support the podcast by becoming a patron.
Granny’s Attic - Live at Edge Studios — 7.30pm GMT
Granny’s Attic on Facebook and YouTube, followed by an aftershow Q&A on Zoom
Ticket for a suggested donation of £10, which includes free downloads of tracks from the concert. Donate a bit more to attend the aftershow Q&A and receive a Granny’s Attic CD. Email band@grannysattic.org.uk to reserve a place in the Zoom Q&A.
Sage Gateshead Christmas Cracker — 7.30pm GMT
Sage Gateshead on YouTube
Featuring The Young’Uns, Sam Fender, Martha Hill, Paul Edis, Voices of Virtue Gospel Choir and the Royal Northern Sinfonia orchestra & chorus.
Free to attend, but donations encouraged to Sage Gateshead’s fundraising appeal.
Christmas Concert with the Arrowsmiths and Jo Maher — 7.30pm GMT
Hosted on Zoom
Free to attend, but donations encouraged in aid of St Lawrence’s Church and Sheffield food banks. Email jess@arrowsmithmusic.co.uk for log-in details.
Martin & Eliza Carthy — 8pm GMT
Furness Tradition
Tickets £14 plus booking fee, with the option to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
Sam Lee — 8pm GMT — POSTPONED to 13 Feb 2021
Kings Place - K player livestream platform
Tickets £12.50
A Festive Hour or So with… Jim Causley — 8pm GMT
Downend Folk Club on Facebook
Free to attend, but donations gratefully received on Paypal.
Faeland Christmas Concert — 8pm GMT
Faeland on Facebook
Tickets £9.99
Virtually Green Note: Festive Special — 8pm GMT
Green Note on YouTube
Featuring artists including Kathryn Williams and Sam Lee.
Free to attend, but donations to charity encouraged
Track Dogs: Now That's What I Call a Christmas Online Gig 2020 — 8pm GMT
Firebrand Music Events
Tickets £15 + booking fee
Annie Ball & Katie Tertell – Semibreve Duo — 8pm GMT
The Globe Newcastle
Tickets £7.50, with the option to pay more to support the artists and venue.
Cambridge Folk Club: Virtual Showcase with Daria Kulesh — 8pm GMT
Cambridge Folk Club on Zoom and Facebook. To be added to the invite list, email enquiries@cambridgefolkclub.co.uk
Free to attend, but donations encouraged to artists taking part
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Christmas at Home: Towersey Festival — 8pm GMT
Active Events in partnership with Towersey Festival
Tickets from £12, with the option to pay more to support the musicians and festival.
SATURDAY 19 DECEMBER
Towersey Festiv-all — Daytime events from 9.30am—6.40pm, The Big Gig at 7pm GMT
Towersey Folk Festival
This winter, Towersey Folk Festival are running Towersey Festiv-all, a virtual festival that includes concerts, workshops, storytelling and family activities, as well as a big Towersey-style Saturday night concert called The Big Gig, featuring Peter Knight’s Gigspanner Big Band, Jim Moray, Manière des Bohémiens and Edwina Hayes.
Daytime activities free, but donations encouraged to support the festival. The Big Gig tickets £20.
Leveret — 2pm GMT — POSTPONED to 13 March 2021
Kings Place - K player livestream platform
Tickets £9.50
Kathryn Tickell and Amy Thatcher — 5pm GMT — POSTPONED to 13 March 2021
Kings Place - K player livestream platform
Tickets £9.50
Christmas with Stream of Sound — 6pm GMT
Stream of Sound Facebook, YouTube and online at tinyurl.com/soschristmas
Free to attend, but donations to charity encouraged
Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook Volume 1 — 7pm GMT
Phil Cunningham’s Christmas Songbook on MyPlayer
Featuring Phil Cunningham, Karen Matheson, Eddi Reader, Kris Drever, John McCusker, Ian Carr and Kevin McGuire.
Tickets £15 each for Volumes 1 & 2, or £25 for both concerts
Folksville Christmas Social 2020 — 7.30pm GMT
Folksville on Facebook
Featuring Rod Clements, Katherine Priddy, Paper Sparrows, William Hershaw, Asthmatic Harp, Sarah Irvine and Old Bill.
Free to attend, but donations encouraged
Hosanna Mwy — 7.30pm GMT
Eisteddfod
Festive tunes with a jazz and folk twist, from Angharad Jenkins (of Calan) & Huw Warren.
Free to attend
JAKL — 7.30pm GMT
Rosslyn Court on YouTube
Free to attend, but donations encouraged
Martin Simpson — 8pm GMT — POSTPONED to 13 March 2021
Kings Place - K player livestream platform
Tickets £9.50
Doug Eunson & Sarah Matthews — 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room - gig is on Zoom
Tickets £14, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
A Causley Christmas — 8pm GMT
Jim Causley on Facebook
No ticket required, but donations encouraged via PayPal
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Christmas at Home: Otley Courthouse — 8pm GMT
Active Events in partnership with Otley Courthouse
Tickets from £12, with the option to pay more to support the musicians and venue.
SUNDAY 20 DECEMBER
Sheffield Carols at The Cumberland at Yours — 12.15pm GMT
The Cumberland Arms singaround via Zoom
Free to attend
Nick Cope - Family Christmas special — 3pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room - gig is on Zoom
Tickets £14, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
The Lock In Christmas Party — 6.30pm GMT
Breaking Tradition in a private Facebook group
If seeing The Lock In Christmas Carol is a festive tradition for you, fear not, as the party is going online this year, complete with fun, games and silliness. Request to join the Facebook group if you’d like to be part of the fun!
Free to attend
Ellie Gowers at Christmas — 7.30pm GMT
Ellie Gowers / Fancourt Music on Facebook
Free to attend, but donations encouraged
Awake Arise - A Christmas Show — 8pm GMT
Kings Place - K player livestream platform
Featuring Lady Maisery, Jimmy Aldridge and Sid Goldsmith.
Tickets £12.50
Lau — 8pm GMT
Live to Your Living Room - gig is on Zoom
Tickets £14, with options to pay a bit more or less depending on your circumstances.
McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle Christmas at Home: The Fleece Inn & Warwick Folk Festival — 8pm GMT
Active Events in partnership with The Fleece Inn & Warwick Folk Festival
Tickets from £12, with the option to pay more to support the musicians and venues.
Vicki Swan & Jonny Dyer’s Christmas Pick-n-Mix — 8pm GMT
Gig hosted on Zoom
Tickets £8 single, £12 household
Some festive listening…
A Yuletide Carol by Megson. This is Megson’s first Christmas album, and it features a mix of traditional carols, Elizabethan yuletide songs and original tracks. A perfect addition to your festive listening collection!
You might also like…
The Folk Forecast: 21–27 Dec 2020
The Folk Forecast’s Christmas Gift Guide
A Very Folky Christmas playlist
Keep up to date - find us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
The Folk Forecast is created for artists, for audiences and for the UK folk scene. All information is correct to the best of our knowledge. If you have queries about the events listed, please contact the artists or promoters. If you have any suggestions for inclusion in future newsletters, please email TheFolkForecast@gmail.com. We may not be able to include absolutely everything, but we’re interested in UK folk events with a broad appeal, and would particularly welcome suggestions from Scotland, Wales and Ireland. The Folk Forecast is compiled by one person, so please bear with me if I can’t get back to you right away.