Festival where folk can join in the fun and the performance

May 11 2009 By The Journal

THE region is alive with talent this month. With the likes of the Late Shows and the Evolution Festival, one event not to be missed is the Hexham Gathering.

Considered one of the country's leading festivals aimed at providing performance opportunities, Hexham Gathering returns this year with a jam-packed line-up. Taking place from Wednesday, May 20, to Sunday, May 24, the annual event consists of hundreds of performers, providing a vibrant kaleidoscope of music and spectacle throughout the town centre.

Unique for its pairing of top folk and traditional performers it has some of the brightest rising stars in the new generation of folk musicians.

This year's main attraction takes the form of Mercury Prize nominee Eliza Carthy and Canadian Aidan Curran.

Winner of several BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards, Eliza is a must see for fans of traditional, rootsy bluegrass and fiddle tunes and songs.

Visitors can also see all-female bands The Shee and The Askew Sisters. The concert is at Queen's Hall Arts Centre on Saturday, May 23, at 7pm, with tickets £12/£10 concession, £5 for students and under-18s. Hexham Gathering also gives schools and youth groups from Tynedale and beyond the opportunity of performing in the leading festival. Those participating this year include Broomley First School, Bellingham Middle School and the Stocksfield Stompers.

A highlight of the event will be the ceilidh at the bandstand on Saturday, between 12.30pm and 2pm. With the addition of the Wooler Steel Pans, visitors should definitely make space for it in the day's busy schedule. Providing plenty of room, they invite you to come listen, dance, bring your picnic and join in the fun.

The festival closes with Gig in the Park, a free open-air concert beside the bandstand.

Starting on Sunday at 2.30pm the line-up includes Mothers Ruin, The Anna Massie Band and The Young ’Uns.

Hexham Gathering offers a musical feast of banjos, fiddles, pianos, Northumbrian pipes, guitars and much more.

It most definitely is the place to be for folk music lovers.

For more information and to book tickets, visit: www.queenshall.co.uk