Get In Touch
If you have any questions about the Swanage Folk Festival, please use the emails below to get in touch or scroll down to see answers to the questions we often get asked.
We have no spaces left for catering stands or drinks stands.
- General enquiries/ comments – info@swanagefolkfestival.com
- Box Office – tickets@swanagefolkfestival.com
- Concert performers/ bands – music@swanagefolkfestival.com
- Dance sides – dance@swanagefolkfestival.com
- Craft stalls – craft@swanagefolkfestival.com
- Caterers – craft@swanagefolkfestival.com
- Volunteers / helpers / stewards – volunteers@swanagefolkfestival.com
- Website enquiries/problems – website@swanagefolkfestival.com
- Fringe enquiries – fringe@swanagefolkfestival.com
The Festival is self-funded and run solely by volunteers. If we manage to create a small surplus, we donate it to local good causes, nobody running the Festival is paid for their work. We rely on your support, so volunteer to help and / or donate.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the festival?
We fill Swanage with music and dance. Dancers are all around the town and the fringe fill the town's pubs, but the heart of the festival (and our main stage) is on Sandpit Field.
Main stage - Sandpit Field: ///underway.silent.originate. DeMoulham Road, Swanage.
Craft fair - Sandpit Field: ///underway.silent.originate. DeMoulham Road, Swanage.
Children's entertainment - Sandpit Field: ///underway.silent.originate. DeMoulham Road, Swanage.
Festival bar - Sandpit Field: ///underway.silent.originate. DeMoulham Road, Swanage.
Festival Ceildh - Swanage School: ///best.fear.dusters High Street, Swanage.
Workshops - Catholic church hall: ///chip.breath.typed. Rempstone Road, Swanage.
Fringe Venues:
Bandstand - Shore Road: ///describes.outlooks.first
Mowlem Showbar - Shore Road: ///squaring.ears.flask
FONC Lounge - High Street: ///cyber.sand.dummy
The Arches - High Steet: ///florists.computers.lectured
Purbeck Plaza - High Street: ///grudging.conquest.pipes
White Swan - High Street: ///chapters.snuggle.fulfilled
Black Swan - High Street: ///healthier.twee.rebounder
Red Lion - ///bolsters.sculpting.dorm
RBL - HIgh Street: ///crop.hillside.inserting
Should I bring my own chairs?
All of our concerts are seated, you don't need to bring your own chairs to sit in while enjoying the concerts.
What does a weekend ticket allow me to do?
Your weekend ticket allows you to enjoy any of the evening concerts and any workshop you want to attend. We will also offer you discounted entry into the ConClub concerts because of your wristbands and it will allow you into any fringe venues.
How do I use my weekend ticket?
If you have a weekend ticket please bring a printed copy (or on your phone) with you. On arrival head to the information tent, where we will scan it and fit a wristband onto your wrist.. Wear it all weekend. for entry into concerts or workshops.
Can I bring my dog?
Well controlled dogs are allowed on the festival field and the main marquee during the day. If you plan on visiting a concert in the main marquee with your dog, please sit at the end of an aisle and near an exit. If your dog is deemed to be a nuisance you'll be asked to leave.
Dogs are not permitted in our evening concerts or any of our other venues.
Which of your venues are accessible?
We make the festival as accessible as possible, within the constraints of a Victorian town. Click here for details of the main venues we use, with an indication of their accessibility. Stewards are at all events to assist, please request help if required.
How do I book into workshops?
The workshop programme is available here. No need to pre-book, arrive a few minutes early to ensure you have a place and are ready to start on time. Workshop entry payments are cash on the door (no credit cards, sorry). If you have a weekend wristband, entry is free.
What's the procession route?
The procession is one of the most amazing visual parts of the weekend. The dancers leave from the Ocean Bay (northern end of shore road) at 3:30, then process along Shore Road all the way to the Mowlem theatre. Click here to see the map where point 18 shows the start of the festival
Take some time out to watch this colourful spectacle, before heading back to Sandpit field or watching the dancers around town.
Oh, and if you have any spare change please give generously as the procession goes past. The Festival is a non profit organisation, everything we raise goes to covering the costs for next year; if we generate a surplus it's given to local good causes.
Where can I park my car?
Go to one of the long stay car parks. Main Beach car park is the largest and close to most of the Festival action. The postode for it is BH19 1AP, or (///automate.crunch.greet). You may find it better to use public transport. More info about travelling to Swanage is available here
Do you have a festival map?
Yes indeed. There's a map in the souvenir programme that we sell. If you want to look before then and plan your weekend, visit https://swanagefolkfestival.com/information/festival-map/. That page has an interactive Google map and a downloadable copy of the map in our souvenir programme.
Can I bring my own Alcohol?
Dancer's tickets.
We love the dancers and they're all entitled to a wristband. Dancers wristbands entitle them to reduced prices for the Ceilidh, free entry into any workshops and half price entry to concerts on main stage (once everybody else has entered).
Dancers wristbands need to be arranged in advance, through the person who books your side in to dance. If you have a question on this, please contact dance@swanagefolkfestival.com
Is the festival financially secure?
Yes – the Swanage Folk Festival is well-managed, financially secure, and planning ahead for future years. We’re a not-for-profit organisation, and all funds go into making the festival a success. We carry enough reserves to ensure that we can always run the festival as promised.
Is Swanage Folk Festival connected to any other festivals?
No – Swanage Folk Festival is a completely independent event, set up as a community interest company, run by a dedicated local team. It has no connection to any other festivals.
What are the dates of the Swanage Folk Festival?
The Swanage Folk Festival takes place every September on the second weekend after the August Bank Holiday.
- 2026: 11–13 September
- 2027: 10–12 September
- 2028: 8–10 September