Folk on the Water prepares to set sail

From June 23 to July 8, Warwickshire’s unique music festival will be holding a series of concerts along the canal paths of the Warwickshire Ring raising money for charities, Zoe’s Place and Fallen Fusiliers. Supported by Touch FM, the festival kicks off at the Cape of Good Hope in Warwick this Saturday, before moving onto Stockton, Napton, and Newbold on Avon and then winding back to Leamington for a final weekend of free music at Newbold Comyn on July 7 and 8.

Festival director, Dutch Van Spall said: “So many people wanted to play in this year’s festival we had a hard job deciding who to include. But we think we’ve come up with the best of our local talent plus some great acts from further afield – including the Czech Republic, Australia, and Germany.

“In total we are showing off 71 acts in total at our 15 free concerts. We’re proud to be able to show off local favourites like Kirsty Gallacher and Issy Ferris who has just been awarded Young Musician of the Year by the Cambridge Folk Festival, as well as the ever popular Wes Finch and Ben Drummond, who also mentors the acoustic stage for Jools Holland’s Birmingham club.

“We’ve got a lot of new acts, and I can’t mention them all but one I’m excited about is Frutaloka. Frutaloka is a five-piece collective of musicians from different cultural background who have a fast-growing reputation as one of the most energising acts around.”

Everyone involved with Folk on the Water has given their time free of charge, with sponsorship from local businesses and the loan of everything from the boat, to print, web and graphic design, PR services, artists and venues.

Once again the tour plans to raise awareness and funds through collections at each of the free events for the two charities. It also aims to encourage people to get together to enjoy live music and the peaceful magic of the waterways.

You can find out more on the event Facebook page ‘Folk on the Water’ or by visiting www.folkonthewater.com