From Thursday 20th to Saturday 22nd March, the eighth edition of Manchester Folk Festival promises three unforgettable days of the finest contemporary and traditional folk, roots and acoustic music that England has to offer.
Formerly held in October, the festival has permanently moved to March, taking over some of the city’s most iconic venues in the Northern Quarter and Ancoats.
Featuring headliners including The Longest Johns, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings, Cara Dillon, Stornoway, Katherine Priddy and many more – alongside rising stars and exclusive showcases – this vibrant celebration is poised to become a springtime staple. Confirmed venues include Band on the Wall, Hallé St Peter’s, Night & Day, The Castle Hotel, Hallé at St Michael’s, The Stoller Hall and New Century Hall.
Manchester – this is some f*cking folk festival!
Billy Bragg
The festival also acts as host to English Folk Expo, an international showcase for the most exciting artists from or based in England. Running parallel to the festival, it brings together 200 music industry delegates with Manchester audiences.
Headline Performances
Bellowhead frontman Jon Boden will be rallying The Remnant Kings – featuring Bellowhead’s Sam Sweeney, Leveret’s Rob Harbron, Ben Nicholls, Sally Hawkins and M. G. Boulter – in what’s guaranteed to be a standout headline set, supporting their latest album, Parlour Ballads. Later that evening, Cara Dillon will bring her celebrated Coming Home show to life with an extraordinary band led by Sam Lakeman. Born from a collection of personal poems and the remarkable album and book that followed, Cara will skilfully interweave this emotive new material with much-treasured classics.
Elsewhere, the beloved, nature-inspired outfit Stornoway will headline New Century Hall performing choice cuts from 2023’s Dig The Mountain alongside breathtaking fan favourites. The show will kick off with Amelia Coburn – named one of Drowned In Sound’s ‘15 Must See Acts of 2025’ – leading with her full band.
On Friday night, giggoers will experience the “rock ‘n’ roll of 1752” as The Longest Johns grace the stage, reimagining many of folk’s classic songs while adding their own unique style of songwriting to the melting pot to keep the tradition alive.
At The Stoller Hall, Josienne Clarke will present Across The Evening Sky: Josienne Clarke Sings The Songs of Sandy Denny following her highly praised new album, Parenthesis, I. Describing Sandy Denny’s songs as her “north star,” Clarke promises to extract the gold from each track and fashion it anew.
Additionally, there will be unmissable performances from artists familiar to Tradfolk readers, such as Nick Hart & Tom Moore, The Magpies, Lisa Knapp & Gerry Diver, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Miranda Sykes & Jim Causley, and Eliza Carthy, Sean Cooney and Sam Carter, performing Cooney’s Rochdale-made musical Peter’s Field.
Festival Experiences
As always, Manchester Folk Festival offers more fun than you can shake a stick at, with plenty of showstopping Morris Dancing from the Saddleworth Morris Men, West Yorkshire’s Wharfedale Wayzgoose Border Morris, Roots Morris and Blackstone Edge Rapper.
The Smithfield Market Tavern will host a series of free music sessions, while Manchester Craft & Design Centre offers hands-on creative workshops. For true folk song enthusiasts, the North Atlantic Song Convention will run a one-day event packed with engaging talks, interactive workshops and plenty of singing.
Tickets & Wristbands
Festival wristband holders enjoy seamless access to all performances, allowing them to create their perfect experience by switching between intimate spaces and main stages with ease. Wristband perks for 2025 include:
- A singing workshop with Jon Boden.
- Access to a wristband-holder only Welcome Event featuring Stockport-born accordionist and clog dancer Heather Ferrier and her band.
- An exclusive performance by award-winning accordionist Hannah James & French cellist Toby Kuhn.
- A special showcase from Folk Canada’s international artists.
Tickets are available on an individual show basis or as full festival wristbands.
The full lineup of artists announced so far includes:
The Longest Johns, Jon Boden & The Remnant Kings, Cara Dillon, Stornoway, Katherine Priddy, Bernard Butler, Ferocious Dog, The Deep Blue, Nick Hart & Tom Moore, Holly Clarke, Nick Cope, Cohen Braithwaite-Kilcoyne, Josienne Clarke, The John Martyn Project, Peter’s Field, Culverake, Sam Carter, Amelia Coburn, Caoilfhionn Rose, The Magpies, Lisa Knapp & Gerry Diver, Yoshika Colwell, One World Orchestra, Red Sky July, Broua, Germa Adan, Miranda Sykes & Jim Causley, Hannah Sanders & Ben Savage, Robbie Cavanagh & Lawrence Maxwell, Dominie Hooper, Brazen, Fran & Flora, Lily Lyons, Sam Kelly, Detta Kenzie, Memorial, Luke Jackson, Brown Wimpenny, Oli Matthews Band, John Kelly, Remorae, Honey and the Bear, Captain of the Lost Waves, Hector Gannet, 3 Daft Monkeys, RE:VULVA, Jaywalkers, R.AGGS and more artists to be announced soon.
For further details on the programme, please visit Manchester Folk Festival’s website.
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