This spring saw the return of Barnsley Folk Festival; a traditional song and dance festival that first took place in 1986. Hosted and managed by Barnsley Civic, the festival saw nearly 2,000 people attend a range of concerts, dances and workshops over a weekend in May, including a sell-out concert from headliner Kate Rusby.
Barnsley Civic is proud to announce that Barnsley Folk Festival will take place over Wednesday 19 – Sunday 23 May 2027 and will feature two headline concerts. Friday’s headliner concert is An Evening with The Roberts: A celebration of the music of Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman and Gilmore & Roberts, and headlining Saturday is The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican.
Friday night will see the exclusive An Evening with The Roberts; an intimate concert with Barnsley’s foremost musical family; featuring both award-winning duos Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman and Gilmore & Roberts sharing the stage together for the first time.
Kathryn and Sean have forged a creative bond that is as enduring as it is inspiring. Their 30 year journey together — from young trailblazers in the 1990s folk supergroup Equation to one of Britain’s most admired and decorated folk duos — stands as a testament to their artistry, authenticity, and masterful musicianship.
Their contribution to the British folk landscape has not gone unnoticed. Kathryn and Sean have twice been named ‘Best Duo’ at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Their live shows have earned them a devoted following and a reputation as a cornerstone act of the British folk and acoustic scene.
Performing alongside Kathryn and Sean is Kathryn’s brother Jamie Roberts and Katriona Gilmore; combining award-winning songwriting with astounding musicianship and their trademark harmonies to create a powerful wall of sound.
Nominated three times at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Katriona Gilmore (fiddle, mandolin) and Jamie Roberts (guitar) have toured Canada and mainland Europe, played some of the UK’s biggest acoustic festivals and toured with folk rock legends Fairport Convention.
2026 sees Gilmore & Roberts celebrate two decades of music with an album of newly recorded career highlights, confirming their place on the UK folk roots scene as purveyors of ‘music to make you dance, cry and think…a masterclass in songwriting’ (Folk Radio UK) since 2006.
Having both grown up in the Barnsley village of Dodworth, surrounded by the traditional music and dance shared by their parents Mick and Carol Roberts; siblings Kathryn and Jamie have taken the UK folk scene by storm over the last few decades, forging very distinct paths, while keeping the family legacy alive and home fires burning.
Support for the evening comes from singer-songwriter Jasmine Fearn.
On the festival’s Saturday night, Barnsley’s very own purveyors of comedy folk music, The Bar-Steward Sons of Val Doonican and their army of knit-wear clad fans will take over Barnsley Civic’s theatre.
Now entering their twentieth year, ‘The Doonicans’ are far from being your typical folk ensemble. Outspoken and energetic ringleader Scott Doonican, and his brothers-from-other-mothers, Alan Doonican, Mo-Jo Doonican, Dave Doonican and the Rt. Rev. Jeremiah Rickenbacker Doonican III, have made their name with their anarchic live shows and no-holds barred parodies of famous songs.
Over the last two decades, the group have played over 1400 shows, played to 20,000 people at Fairport’s Cropredy Convention (twice!), the Avalon Stage at Glastonbury Festival (twice!), recorded collaborations with the likes of Frank Turner, Eliza Carthy and members of the Levellers, and even scaled the dizzy heights of a #1 and a #2 single and a #2 album on the iTunes Comedy Charts (plus a National chart position in the Top 100)!
Support for the evening comes from self-proclaimed Balkanic ska turbo folk band Lazlo Baby!
Alongside Barnsley Folk Festival’s headline concerts, there will be performances by Shoon, The Hooliemen, Parson’s Lot, Serious Sam Barrett, Glass Ships and The Rhythm Chaps, plus lots more live music to be confirmed.
Also expect the return of our free family folk day in Mandela Gardens, featuring plenty of live music, folk sessions and singarounds, storytelling, theatre, traditional dance performances and workshops, craft activities, plenty of food and drink; as well as our free ceilidh on Sunday. We will announce more musical artists, dance teams and workshop facilitators in early 2027.
Tickets for our festival headline concerts and our Sunday evening showcase, go on general release on Monday 27th July at 10am. Booking will also be open for our free family day and our free ceilidh.
Book your tickets here > https://barnsleycivic.co.uk/whats-on/?_genre=barnsley-folk-festival
