Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 2026
Venue: Purbeck Valley FarmTown: Harman's Cross
Date: 20th & 23rd August 2026
Website: http://www.purbeckvalleyfolkfestival.co.uk/
Once again the 17th Purbeck Valley Folk Festival lived up to, and exceeded, expectations. The main reason for this is strength in depth not only across the three main stages but also the smaller duck stage and various sessions points. There's even a busk stage where anyone can have a go. Add to that the activities for all ages, the craft area and wellbeing meadow and at Purbeck Valley you have a festival that cares passionately about people. To make a break from music the comedy club was very well attended with quality acts and the competitions are always great fun to watch. The Fancy dress particularly inspired people this year.
If that sounds like a busy weekend there's always the bars to relax in, with lots of local breweries and cider makers showing their skills and the food stalls also looks to support local small business with a good range and quality, with reasonable prices for a festival. All in all, this is the festival that has everything which is why people return again and again and the newcomers wish they'd discovered it years before. Of course the icing on the cake is the view across the Purbeck Hills, a bit dry this year but still spectacular in an understated way. There's even a chance to see the occasional white tailed eagle or osprey passing through.
In terms of music it was sad to hear that Eddi Reader had to drop out for personal reasons, as she's such a magnificent performer, but a measure of the festival is that the overwhelming reaction to the news was an outpouring of warmth and sympathy with a hope that she will be able to come back in the near future. Although she was missed there was still a quality line-up to enjoy.
The Thursday this year was the best I can ever remember, right across the board from father and son openers Bob and Connor Burke easing us in, to the rousing bl?gras of Taff Rapids and full on party bands such as Danger Goat and Ukulele Death Squad all the way from Australia. Whilst these bands may be big and loud they're also superb musicians who know how to put on a show.
Friday's the first full day of music and I can't possibly mention everyone I saw, but enjoyed them all. Mention has to go to the Devon Youth Folk Ensemble; they and people like them are the future and it looks bright. Catherine Burke, in a busy schedule all weekend, gave a great set. Detta Kensey was a name I'd heard of but I'm now glad to say I've seen her and was immediately struck by what a beautiful voice she has. It's a measure of the impression she made that people passing the stage on the way to somewhere else stopped, listened and stayed. Martha Tilston, of course, showed why she is so highly regarded with a great voice, wonderful songwriting and subtle humour. Sam Kelly and The Lost Boys thrilled as always; it's a band that gets better and better with time. Friday was also memorable for that rarest festival ingredient this year - rain! Festival crowds tend to be pretty hardy and it certainly wasn't going to stop us listening to music, even on the open Fire Stage.
By Saturday the dust was laid and the sun was back. Purbeck has its tradition and one that always draws a big crowd is Purbeck Rising, a showcase for performers to impress not only the audience but a very knowledgeable panel of judges who're associated with local festivals and clubs. The standard increases year on year and in 2026 they made the choice even harder. Three of the acts I'd seen before, three were new to me but I'd happily see all six again at every opportunity. Two, The Water Chorus and Seren Alyssa (another incredible voice), will certainly be back as the judges' and audience vote respectively, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if we see Kelvin Davies and Chloe Turner, Because The Bear, Catch The Sparrow and Chloe Matharu as well. All of them gave performances that held an audience and drew people in with a range from old time to harp through to new folk. Clementine Lovell played her main stage set as the audience votes were being counted and showed why showcase events like this are so important. Since winning in 2025 she's released two excellent albums and won a FATEA Award.
Another tradition at Purbeck, and something that's gaining in popularity generally are the ceilidhs. The standout one for me is Threepenny Bit providing the music and Andrew Helston doing the calling. Held in the Big Barn, which is exactly that, it was so full to the brim that people were also dancing outside. With dancers ranging from youngsters to the not so youngsters the smile per square metre must have set some kind of world record. Of course, a tradition that goes back hundreds(!) of years is the classic Dorset Tankard Dance which had people rushing to the floor to "clink and drink".
If anyone had any energy left after that Jiggy, Roving Crows and Threepenny Bit in their second set were more than happy to take it off you, or you could lay back and drift off to the gentler tones of The Lost Trades. Lovers of world music were also well catered for with sets from Sunto Susso (Gambia), Destan Dönemi (Turkey) or Holandestinas (Netherlands). There was more excelled real country and bluegrass with Michael Prewitt and Martha Spencer making the trip over pond. Once again, the bed was very welcome at the end of the day, with so many stand out memories.
Sunday is always a day filled with anticipation tinged with the knowledge that it will soon be time to return to the real world, so you determine to enjoy it as much as possible. Another great tradition is to start with the Southampton Ukulele Jam who produce a riot of music from people who love playing. Their set absolutely fizzes with energy and humour and songs that everybody knows and is encouraged to join in with. The always attract a huge crowd who sing with quantity rather than quality and that's what they're all about. It' a marvellous start to the day which was filled with excellent music. Again hard to pull out the hightlights but the range was superb from Africa to eastern Europe and beyond whilst bringing lots of traditional sounds from the British Isles.
After three and a half days there was still one final effort to be made. If you're going to end a festival on a high then Bonfire Radicals and Quinns Quinney is the perfect way to do it. Bonfire Radicals are Birmingham's finest and their new album "Spaghetti Junction" got played on a loop all the way home. Not so much high octane as rocket fuel, they blast their way across the stage with music that gets everyone dancing with influences from calypso to klezmer all played by some incredibly skilled musicians. Bonfire radicals prove that, yes, the recorder is a proper instrument. Quinns Quinney are Purbeck Valley favourites with a big sound guaranteed to raise a smile.
I'll freely admit I'm a great fan of this festival and look forward to it every year. 2027, early bird tickets are available now at a heavily discounted price, is already getting me looking forward. The artists will be different but it's guaranteed they will be equally as good as those appearing in 2026. The views will still be beautiful, the atmosphere of this friendliest of festivals will still be the same. The beers and ciders will be just a good. It's one you should really go to so you can find out for yourself.
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