Step off the train in Broadstairs in August and the first thing you notice isn’t the sea – it’s the sound. Fiddles and drums drifting up from the bandstand at Viking Bay, bells on the pavement, children shrieking as a dragon and a Hooden Horse argue over someone’s hat before tossing it on the floor. You’re minutes from the beach and already in the middle of something.

Last summer, in its 60th year, Broadstairs Folk Week was named one of the best places to be in August anywhere in the world. This year, from 7–14 August 2026, the town is tuning up again: more than 300 events in over 20 pubs, halls and outdoor spaces, around 160 of them free, with everything from ukulele playing and maypole dancing to late‑night roof‑raisers – all with a wide, sandy beach just below it all.

Broadstairs Folk Week

7–14 August 2026, Broadstairs, Kent

☞ Get your ticket today ☜

Down by the bandstand, Clarence the Dragon is awake. He comes out of hibernation for one week only to preside over mornings at Hobby Horse Club, join the Saturday parade and pop up wherever the laughter is loudest. Bill, who is four, loves Clarence and thinks the Hooden Horses are “a bit naughty” because they always try to throw his hat on the floor. His only complaint is that Broadstairs Folk Week is one week and not two.

What began in the 1960s with Jack Hamilton’s Folk Show has become eight August days when Broadstairs opens its doors like it’s been waiting all year: pubs, church halls, the bandstand and the Pavilion humming from morning until late. Around 250 volunteers now make it happen, giving their time in return for being part of the week – and together they help bring an estimated £9.4 million into the local economy each year, supporting traders, cafés, pubs, accommodation and shops across Thanet.

“The reason I come back is because the people are so lovely – so kind and supportive – and the bands are absolutely fantastic,” says Chelsea, who has been volunteering for five years. “A friend at university once told me, ‘Come and join us, it’s really fun – games and everything,’ and I was hooked. Now my heart belongs to Broadstairs Folk Week and I wouldn’t change it for the world.”

Folk and roots music are in the middle of a real revival, driven by younger audiences who want songs with stories, place and community. Indie‑folk and acoustic artists are filling arenas and charts again, and social media has helped a new generation of writers go viral from their bedrooms. One of them is Scotland’s Michael McGovern, whose intimate, story‑rich songs have clocked up millions of views online and who now joins the Broadstairs line‑up alongside long‑established names.

Come between 7 and 14 August and you’ll find one of Broadstairs’ strongest programmes yet. Jethro Tull’s Martin Barre lights the touchpaper with a pre‑week special; Tankus and Elephant Sessions rattle the Pavilion; The Men They Couldn’t Hang and 3 Daft Monkeys throw out choruses you can hear from the promenade. Eliza Carthy and the Martin Simpson Trio carry stories that have been walked into shape over years, alongside Michael McGovern, Miranda Sykes & Jim Causley, Suntuo Susso & the Gambian All Stars, Barry Kerr, Barb Jungr, Tim Edey, Bridget St John, Nancy Kerr, Banter, Urban Folk Quartet, Honey & the Bear, Peter’s Field by Sean Cooney and many more.

Across the town, there’s a rhythm to every day. One night you’re in a Later at the Pav show – the late‑night series launched last year, now back with another run of “you had to be there” sets above the bay – the next morning you’re in a cool church listening to a single voice like Edwina Hayes, Gerry Colvin, Gilmore & Roberts, Luke Wallace, Abigail Pryde, Chris Brain, Chris Cleverley, Katie Spencer or Rebecka Edlund hold a room still. Up by Crampton Museum, the Marsh Family are singing; at Hobby Horse Club, Zoe, Peter and Evie from Inspiration Creative lead all ages through songs and signs, sequins and silliness, while Giddy Up keep the tunes rolling and the Hooden Horses provide the chaos.

“People talk about the folk revival, about younger audiences looking for music that feels human again,” says Kai Hoffman, Director of Broadstairs Folk Week. “Here you can feel that happening in real time – teenagers discovering a song in a back room, families dancing on the bandstand at Viking Bay, late‑night crowds at the Pavilion. We’ve brought together a line‑up that nods to our 60‑year history but also looks forward, with artists from Ken Wilson to Elephant Sessions, reshaping folk, roots and acoustic music for the next generation.

You don’t have to know any of the names to start. Pitch a tent at the campsite with a Week, Weekend or Day ticket and keep everything within walking distance; grab individual tickets for Pavilion and headline shows; or simply wander into town and follow the sound. Last year many headline events and camping sold out, so book early if you want to be part of it and avoid missing out.

Week, Weekend and Day tickets – with and without camping – are on sale now at broadstairsfolkweek.org.uk. Follow @broadstairsfolkweek for line‑up news, Hooden Horses and Clarence the Dragon on your feed, and glimpses of the week as it comes together.
What will you discover?

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