The Chippenham Folk Festival

High Street c1950
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Chippenham Folk Festival is about to celebrate its 40th year in 2011 and I have been attending as a musician with the Whitethorn Morris Band many times going back to my first visit around 1980.

Although it has seen many changes since its beginnings in Lacock all those years ago, it still retains its 'village' atmosphere, providing three days of song, dance, workshops and dance displays. Over 200 events now take place within the town centre, turning the whole town into a giant party. The main Ceileidh and concert events take place in the park alongside the river, while practically every pub and venue in the town is used for a vast range of sessions, workshops and smaller concerts and dances. There are also children’s events, a large craft marquee, catering facilities and an open air arena in the park. The High Street and historic Market Square are now pedestrianized, and are used throughout the weekend for busking, street theatre and processions. A huge street fair also takes place on the Monday.

Among the Morris Dancing fraternity, this festival has unfortunately acquired a reputation for wet weather which makes it difficult to dance on the wet slippery stage or pub forecourts. On the occasion of our first visit around 1980 a tractor had to be used to pull our cars off the boggy festival campsite!

The occasion I remember most clearly was the 1990 Festival when my team, Whitethorn Morris, introduced two fairly recent additions to our repertoire, dances from Horbury and another we called "The Wicked Lady" for which I had devised a medley of polka music. Maybe the reason I remember that particular Chippenham Folk Festival is because it didn't rain!