What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Hi everyone.
I've played a lot of festivals over the last few years i.e. Celtic Connections - Scotland, Celtic Colors - Cape Breton, Tonder Festival - Demark, Folkest - Italy etc ... I'd like to do a bit of touring outside Scotland next year so i'd like to know if anyone's been to or played at any Folk/Trad/Celtic festivals recently which they'd highly recommend ... I'd love to hear from you!
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
There are different types of festivals. Some are great for sessions while others are excellent for hearing great music on stage. Others have a mixture of both.
Without doubt, Tønder Festival is the very best for concerts and I've heard just about everyone there over the years....not all Irish, of course.
However, I'm also very happy at small festivals where people just get together for a few tunes. Newcastleton has been great for this over the years, although it's had its ups and downs.
Girvan has always had a nice mixture of concerts and good sessions.
I've been to a few English festivals but find them too big and formal and without the crack of somewhere like Tønder which still has all the attributes of a small festival even although it's not.
In Ireland, I've really just gone to pub sessions and the occasional concert apart from the Letterkenny festival many moons ago. It was very quiet but probably due to the fact that The Fleadh was on the same weekend at Clonmel. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to the latter as I was on my way back to Scotland.
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
I agree with you re the formality of English festival sessions. Well, from my limited experience, anyway. I went down to Broadstairs on Saturday. English tunes were very much the fayre. That's fine I don't mind just sitting in and listening. But when I got a bit mouthy, just having a bit of crack, I received some surprised stares...so I just erm, shut up.....
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Formality of English Festival sessions? Boy, have you been at the wrong festivals! And as for being surprised that English tunes were being played by English musicians at an English Festival - what do you expect? Why didn't you go and find an Irish session (there would have been one - or two - or three)
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Ennis trad festival - Ennis,Co.Clare, Ireland. Usually on in November. Has amazing sessions. Up to 40 sessions round the town at different times of the day and are all top class. Amazing concerts by nite with the trad disco to top it all off. Worth a visit.
Gig N The bann in Portglenone and the west Belfast fests are also good.
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Hey, try Kaustinen Folk Festival in Finland! It's THE folk festival in Finland, with great spontaneous sessions (Irish, Finnish, blue grass, etc., depends on who turns up) every night. Lasts 8 days in mid July, with the sun shining almost through the night. The festival progrmme includes both big things, such as domestic and foreign (each year there's a different country theme) top musicians and dancers, but also small groups and bush sessions, as we call them. Also there is a stong flavour of the Kaustinen traditional music; this village has produced perhaps the most important and famous traditional and today's Finnish folk musicians and has a strong tradition on folk music. Nearly everyone (or at least two thirds!) living in the village plays an instrument or dances traditional dances. Certainly worth a go!
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Every year there is great music at the Dayton, Ohio Celtic Festival, and at the Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin,Oh.)
The Dayton Festival is the last weekend in July, and it's FREE! Dublin is the first weekend in August. The only things wrong with it are that it is just too big to hear all of the bands, and they don't have Guinness, and it isn't free.
What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Hi everyone.
I've played a lot of festivals over the last few years i.e. Celtic Connections - Scotland, Celtic Colors - Cape Breton, Tonder Festival - Demark, Folkest - Italy etc ... I'd like to do a bit of touring outside Scotland next year so i'd like to know if anyone's been to or played at any Folk/Trad/Celtic festivals recently which they'd highly recommend ... I'd love to hear from you!
CHEERS!
Iain A. (Fiddler) (( No, NOT Jethro Tull !!! )).
# Posted on August 16th 2006 by Iain Anderson
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Maybe Skegen Festival ??
# Posted on August 16th 2006 by Iain Anderson
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
... Or Labidoux Festival ( Belgium ).
# Posted on August 16th 2006 by Iain Anderson
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Dance des Loups - Corbeyrier, Switzerland. Small, cheap, loud with high calibre players and lots of folk in kilts dancing. Unfortunately no sessions.
# Posted on August 16th 2006 by jinksy
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
I agree with jinksy - especially as I'd get to hear you. That particular festival is only run every other year. Next edition will be 2008.
# Posted on August 16th 2006 by Tirno
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
There are different types of festivals. Some are great for sessions while others are excellent for hearing great music on stage. Others have a mixture of both.
Without doubt, Tønder Festival is the very best for concerts and I've heard just about everyone there over the years....not all Irish, of course.
However, I'm also very happy at small festivals where people just get together for a few tunes. Newcastleton has been great for this over the years, although it's had its ups and downs.
Girvan has always had a nice mixture of concerts and good sessions.
I've been to a few English festivals but find them too big and formal and without the crack of somewhere like Tønder which still has all the attributes of a small festival even although it's not.
In Ireland, I've really just gone to pub sessions and the occasional concert apart from the Letterkenny festival many moons ago. It was very quiet but probably due to the fact that The Fleadh was on the same weekend at Clonmel. Unfortunately, I couldn't get to the latter as I was on my way back to Scotland.
# Posted on August 16th 2006 by Johannes J
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
I agree with you re the formality of English festival sessions. Well, from my limited experience, anyway. I went down to Broadstairs on Saturday. English tunes were very much the fayre. That's fine I don't mind just sitting in and listening. But when I got a bit mouthy, just having a bit of crack, I received some surprised stares...so I just erm, shut up.....
# Posted on August 16th 2006 by Alf Tupper
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Listowel fleadh 1974... what I can remember of it...
# Posted on August 16th 2006 by LastToFinish
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Formality of English Festival sessions? Boy, have you been at the wrong festivals! And as for being surprised that English tunes were being played by English musicians at an English Festival - what do you expect? Why didn't you go and find an Irish session (there would have been one - or two - or three)
# Posted on August 17th 2006 by c.g.
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
The National Folk Festival in Canberra, Australia is ROCKIN!
# Posted on August 17th 2006 by nicstar
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Ennis trad festival - Ennis,Co.Clare, Ireland. Usually on in November. Has amazing sessions. Up to 40 sessions round the town at different times of the day and are all top class. Amazing concerts by nite with the trad disco to top it all off. Worth a visit.
Gig N The bann in Portglenone and the west Belfast fests are also good.
# Posted on August 17th 2006 by eurbanjo
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Hey, try Kaustinen Folk Festival in Finland! It's THE folk festival in Finland, with great spontaneous sessions (Irish, Finnish, blue grass, etc., depends on who turns up) every night. Lasts 8 days in mid July, with the sun shining almost through the night. The festival progrmme includes both big things, such as domestic and foreign (each year there's a different country theme) top musicians and dancers, but also small groups and bush sessions, as we call them. Also there is a stong flavour of the Kaustinen traditional music; this village has produced perhaps the most important and famous traditional and today's Finnish folk musicians and has a strong tradition on folk music. Nearly everyone (or at least two thirds!) living in the village plays an instrument or dances traditional dances. Certainly worth a go!
# Posted on August 20th 2006 by Miia
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Every year there is great music at the Dayton, Ohio Celtic Festival, and at the Dublin Irish Festival (Dublin,Oh.)
The Dayton Festival is the last weekend in July, and it's FREE! Dublin is the first weekend in August. The only things wrong with it are that it is just too big to hear all of the bands, and they don't have Guinness, and it isn't free.
# Posted on August 21st 2006 by Black Tom
Re: What are the BEST Music Festivals you've been to ???
Ortigueira in Galicia, http://www.festivaldeortigueira.com/english.php?lang=ing
galician, breton, irish, scotish and more... for free
you can always find a session at least at the "Caracas" bar and probably more all over the town.
http://www.fotolog.com/adrianix/?pid=18070307
The only downside is that thera are too much people that doesn't rally like folk music, only drinking.
Also A carballeira de Zas (in galicia also) http://festadacarballeira.com/galego/index.html not so big but very beautiful.
# Posted on August 31st 2006 by adrianix