Small but perfectly formed Whitchurch Folk Festival returns to take over the Hampshire town...
Whitchurch Folk Festival is back! Arts editor TRISH LEE speaks to musician and festival co-director Jon Wilks – ‘ If you’re only 20 minutes up the road in Newbury, it’s well worth the drive down’
WHITCHURCH Folk Festival is back on Saturday, May 10, bringing world-class folk artists, morris dancing, interactive workshops and a strong community spirit to North Hampshire.
Featuring world-class folk artists, this vibrant festival spotlights traditional music, dance, arts and crafts. Enjoy concerts, ceilidhs, interactive workshops and delicious local food and drink.
After being dormant for more than three decades, it enjoyed a hugely successful revival in 2024, relaunched by folk musician Jon Wilks in celebration of Paul Sartin, Whitchurch’s favourite folk son (Bellowhead, Faustus, Belshazzar’s Feast), honoring his legacy and contributions to traditional music.
The festival promises to be even bigger and better this year, with an expanded lineup and exciting new additions.
Folk musician Jon Wilks successfully relaunched the festival following conversations with his Whitchurch neighbour Paul Sartin.
After Sartin’s unexpected death in 2022, contributions were made to a festival fund.
We all miss Paul Sartin – last year’s revival of the festival was in celebration of him – how did that go?
Last year’s event was wonderful, and everything I think Paul had hoped it would be. We estimate that about 800 people turned out for the festival, which, for a place the size of Whitchurch ,is noticeable.
We had some of the country’s best folk musicians and morris dancers performing all over the town, wonderful food stalls, superb workshops run by local creatives and FolkActive, a fantastic festival hub in the beer garden of the King’s Arms.
The general response was that it was a great day that really brought the community together. We can’t wait to do it again this year!
How are you involved?
I am a co-director, alongside Claire Patterson who was Paul’s dear friend and his agent. I’m also a folk performer in my own right. I didn’t perform last year, but I’ll be playing at the Gill Nethercott Centre on the Saturday evening.
How are Paul’s sons involved this year? They’re pretty good musicians too!
James, Will and Joe are totally behind it. Two of them perform as Patakas, of course, and they’re one of few bands that played last year that are doing it again this year. We try to bring new artists in each year, but having Will and Joe on stage gives it that family feel and is a nice way to honour Paul’s memory.
They’re excellent musicians in their own right, so make sure you come and see them. Joe has also programmed the Fringe Stage this year and will be running it with my son, Kai, also a musician.
Give use a feel of the atmosphere of the festival...
We’ve only done it once so far, and that began with the Northern Lights making an appearance in the Whitchurch skies the night before... so that was pretty magical!
It’s just a really nice day – a kind of early summer/late spring celebration. A chance to welcome back the sun.
It’s bigger than a typical village fete, but not so big as to be overwhelming. It’s such a great thing to have all these world-class performers in our little town.
Even if you’re not a folk fan – perhaps you're just ‘folk curious’ – there’s so much to do. The atmosphere was buzzing last year. If you’re only 20 minutes up the road in Newbury, it’s well worth the drive down.
How does it transform the town on the day?
It being early May, we have plenty of traditional stuff going on. The town is decorated in foliage and bunting and there are morris dancers prowling the streets. You’ll also catch the Longparish Mummers in their fully tattered regalia, so it’s very colourful.
In the early afternoon we run a parade through the centre of town, with traditional costumes, locally-designed beasts, music and dance. The whole town is invited to get involved, so there are kids from the local schools dancing alongside some of these experienced performers. It’s the stuff that memories are made of.
Everything is focused around the centre of town, from the Silk Mill down to the Kings Arms and right up to All Hallows Church. There are things going on in every nook and cranny.
What are your particular highlights this year?
Sooooo many! Martin Simpson is one of the world’s best guitarists, so he’s always a treat to see. And we’ve got folk flavours from overseas this year, including Quimantu (a Chilean band) and Tamsin Elliott with Tarek Elazhary (combining English traditional music with Egyptian sounds).
There’s a pre-festival concert on the Friday night for anyone already in the area featuring Brummie folk nutters, Bonfire Radicals, as well as sessions in the King’s Arms. We’ve increased our morris dancing quota, and FolkActive (from Southampton) will be putting on workshops throughout the day.
We’ve also opened up what we’re calling the Blackbird Stage as a free place for people to stop by and see some top-notch folk performers without having to worry about cost. The festival hub at the Gill Nethercott Centre is worth shouting about, too. At the last count we had 13 stalls, including some incredible-looking grub.
You’ll be hard-pressed to drag me away from there. Then there’s the Fringe Festival at the King’s Arms.... that place has been so supportive, we really want to thank them. We’ll be putting all the sessions there and they’ve said that they’ll be staying open until very late to keep the party going.
How will it reflect Hampshire traditions?
We programme a lot of local traditions at the Silk Mill, including Hampshire Stepping workshops, the Longparish Mummers, and other local dance traditions.
There’ll also be maypole dancing, ceilidhs, the whole shebang. We bring FolkActive into town to do a lot of this as there are few organisations who do it so well, and being from Southampton, nobody else knows the local traditions in as much depth.
We’re also partnering with Watercress & Winterbournes to create traditions of our own. They’ve helped us to shape the parade, amongst other things, so that it focuses on the local river wildlife. Whereas last year you will have seen the Green Man, this year you might find something altogether more fishy!
What are your hopes for the future of the festival? Any ideas of expansion?
Ideally, we’d keep it at the size it currently is. We don’t want to overwhelm the locals, and we don’t want to move the focus away from the town itself. It’s very important to us that the town is as much a character in the festival as anyone we invite in. It’s what they call a boutique festival, I suppose. Small, but perfectly formed.
To get a feel for the festival watch this short video from last year at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn4jbcNaDlY
Line-up:
Martin Simpson – Leveret – Quimantu – Goblin Band – The Magpies – Tamsin Elliott & Tarek Elazhary – Patakas – Holly Clarke – Out of Hand – Seb Stone – Jon Wilks – Michelle Holloway
Plus…
Andover Museum Loft Singers – ManChoir Mutineers – Charles Allison & Anna Mullens – Keltyke – Vincent Lindsey-Clarke – Longparish Mummers – Bampton Morris – Boss Morris – Mayfly Morris – Winchester Morris Men – Hook Eagle Morris
Evergreen – Eloise Carter – Guinea Lane – Kai Wilks – Noah Scott – Emilie Turner-Großer – Luca Simons – Jonathan Ozanne – Angling For Farthings – Joshua Chinappen – Ellie Watkiss
Friday Night, pre-festival Shenanigans: Bonfire Radicals & more.
Visit: https://whitchurchfolk.com for tickets and more information.
NEW RELEASE BY JON WILKS
WHITCHURCH’S acclaimed folk singer, guitarist and storyteller Jon Wilks has just released his new single Could You Be the One? – the first taste of his forthcoming fifth solo album, due out in October.
While Wilks is widely known for his interpretations of traditional folk songs, this new track with Jon on acoustic guitar and lead vocals steps confidently into original territory, embracing a full-band sound with rich harmonies and a warm, expansive feel.
The single was produced by Joe Sartin and recorded at the Hampshire Wildgoose Studios.
It features a trusted lineup of long-time collaborators: Jackie Oates (backing vocals), Jon Nice (electric guitar, keyboards), Richard Davies (bass, returning to the studio with Jon for the first time since 2003), and Laurence Hunt (drums – Hack Poets Guild, The Wayward Band, Jim Moray Band).
The accompanying video – view at www.youtube.com/watch?v=xawT50lmDug was directed, filmed and edited by Jon’s 21-year-old son Kai, showcasing a striking visual sensibility that complements the track’s warmth and lyrical intimacy.
It was produced by Joe Sartin, son of the late Paul Sartin, Jon’s great friend, collaborator and Whitchurch neighbour.
Alongside the single, Jon has launched a Kickstarter campaign to support the release of the new album, already reaching 10 per cent of its target within the first hour of launch.Fans can pre-order the album and access exclusive rewards via https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/jonwilks /jon-wilks-new-album-2025/
Spring 2025 Tour Dates include May’s Whitchurch Folk Festival which Jon is directing.
