L2F The Lichfield Festival of Folk 2023

Sunday 17 September to Saturday 14 October

Autumn, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…and fantastic music…and great fun as the L2F Lichfield Festival of Folk gets under way once again in the atmospheric city of Lichfield! Amazing concerts, free community events, dancing and a procession all come together in a heart warming treat. There is so much to offer you from Lichfield Folk on the Farm in the beautiful surroundings of Woodhouse Farm on 17 September to the grand finale on 14 October with incredible False Lights! Book your tickets now for some great times or come along to our many free events – autumn can become your favourite season!
FOLK TRAIN – WED 11TH OCT ARTS & HERITAGE PROCESSION – SAT 14TH OCT DANCING IN THE CITY – SAT 14TH OCT ACOUSTIC SESSIONS – SAT 14TH OCT

The L2F Folk Train – Wednesday 11th October 2023

Music fans, singers and musicians are invited to join Lichfield Arts for an evening of music making and fun on Wednesday 11th October 2023, when the L2F 2023 Folk Train will entertain passengers on the Cross City Line from Lichfield City to Sutton Coldfield. Participants can join the train at Lichfield City or any of the stations between there and Sutton Coldfield (Please note that Lichfield Trent Valley station is closed undergoing platform works).

You can join in the playing and singing at the Bittersuite from 18:00 (55 Upper St John St, WS14 9DT), on the train, or simply sit back and be entertained. When we arrive at Sutton Coldfield, we will be going to the nearby Three Tuns pub to continue the music session, before travelling back to Lichfield.

The event is absolutely free, other than the cost of a train ticket.

The train leaves Lichfield City at 19:13, where there will be Lichfield Arts stewards to direct people.

Anyone can join at any of the intermediate stations between Lichfield and Sutton and can find the music in the rearmost carriage. Or participants can also join as at the Bittersuite from 18:00 or Three Tuns from approximately 19:40. We will be heading back to Lichfield on the 22:58 from Sutton.

The timings for the intermediate stations are:

Shenstone 19:18 Blake Street 19:21 Butlers Lane 19:23 Four Oaks 19:26

Arts & Heritage Procession

A great day in the city centre, full of music and colour! A procession of Arts and Heritage groups form a procession from the Cathedral and through the city .

Dancing groups from across the region demonstrate their skills throughout Lichfield. Marvellous fun with costume and music, engaging with masses of city centre shoppers.

Dancing in the city

‘Dancing in the City’ at L2F is fast becoming one of the premier traditional dance events in the Midlands with more sides than ever giving an amazingly colourful and eye-catching display. Sides from across the wider region will gather in Lichfield City Centre on Saturday 14 October to give fascinating and fun-filled demonstrations of toe-tapping Morris styles. Several styles of Morris Dancing are on show including:

Border Morris which is a tradition that comes from the borders of Wales and England and is characterised by stick-clashing, the wearing of ‘rag jackets’ and painted faces.

Northwest Clog Morris which is characterised by the wearing of clogs and where many of the dances originate from the towns and cities of the North West of England.

Cotswold Morris where the set dances include handkerchief dances, processional dances, stick dances and hand clapping dances

You will be able to see them dancing in the city outside The Guildhall, in front of B&M, at Speakers Corner and in Dam Street near Lloyds Bank from 11.40am until 3pm.

Dance sides taking part

Three Spires Morris ( the local side) was formed in March 1982. The name is taken from the three spires of the Cathedral in our home city of Lichfield. Three Spires dance mainly Northwest Clog Morris.

Beggars’ Oak Clog started in 1983 and is a mixed clog Morris team dancing in the North West tradition. The Beggars’ Oak was a great tree which stood on the Bagot Estate near Abbots Bromley.

Bakanalia Border Morris are a mixed Border Morris side based in Leicester who dance for pleasure and aim to preserve and develop the border morris tradition by entertaining and encouraging others to be involved.

Bakanalia Border Morris
Pennyroyal Garland Dancers

Pennyroyal Garland Dancers are a group of enthusiastic folk dancers based in north-west Leicestershire. They currently perform two main styles of dance, garland and clog dance.

Nancy Butterfly were formed in 1980 and dance in the North West style.

Glorishears of Brummagen
T’Owd Man Morris

T’Owd Man Morris formed between the lock down one and lock down two in 2020. They dance border morris and are from the Derbyshire Dales.

Glorishears of Brummagem Morris Dancers are from Birmingham and are the city’s premier women’s morris side performing traditional Cotswold Morris dances.

Both Uttoxeter Heart of Oak and Stafford Morris are Cotswold Morris sides and can be seen frequently dancing together.

Lichfield Regency Dancers are a small but enthusiastic group, dedicated to dancing in the style of the Regency period.

Bojangles are a group of young dancers from one of the local dance schools.

Leek Morris are a Side who perform dances from the Cotswolds, the Forest of Dean and the Welsh Borders.

Stafford Morris
Lichfield Regency Dancers
Leek Morris

The Lichfield Festival of Folk Acoustic Session 2023

An afternoon of live entertainment by local musicians absolutely FREE

When: Saturday 14 October 2023, 12:00 – 17:00

Where: The Pig, 20 Tamworth Street, Lichfield, WS13 6JJ

Come and listen to between 8 to 10 different local acts performing in 15 or 30 minute slots throughout the afternoon while enjoying a beer or something to eat in the convivial atmosphere of ‘The Pig’ pub.