Eliza Carthy & The Restitution, Belinda O'Hooley & Jackie Oates, Jim Moray and more announced for Manchester Folk Festival 2027, alongside Sacred Harp, Sound Bath and Spoon Carving workshops
Celebrations for Manchester Folk Festival’s tenth year are shaping up to be quite the spectacle, with today’s impressive second wave of artists joining Spiers & Boden, Leveret, Pokey LaFarge, Catrin Finch & Aoife Ní Bhriain, Fionn Regan, Olivia Chaney and many more.
Expanding to four days, from Wednesday 10th to Saturday 13th March, the festival is also hosting more workshops than ever, with spoon carving, Sacred Harp singing, corn dolly making, a sound bath and drop-in sketch sessions giving revellers plenty to get stuck into between performances.
Building on the “playful, daring and forward-looking spirit of this ever-extraordinary festival” (Northern Soul), which welcomed a record-breaking 7,500 attendees for its biggest edition yet this year, in 2027 the event will unfold across Band on the Wall, Hallé St Peter’s, Hallé at St Michael’s, The Smithfield Market Tavern, Cutting Room Square and Stoller Hall. The latter venue will also unveil two new stages.
The festival’s second wave of artists includes Eliza Carthy & The Restitution, Belinda O’Hooley & Jackie Oates, Jim Moray, Tamsin Elliott & Tarek Elazhary, The Brothers Gillespie, Spencer Cullum, Hollowhand & Erin Rae, Barry Kerr, Chloe Foy, Grace Smith Trio, Jon Wilks & Rich Lines: Strange Heavens, Track Dogs, AK Patterson, Catherine Maclellan, Bev Lee Harling & Tara Maclean, Pons Aelius, Quincey May Brown and Mishra.
“A beacon of exploration, connection and live music taking place in the gritty heart of the city” – Songlines
The festival also plays a key role as host of English Folk Expo (EFEx), England’s only showcase event for traditional and contemporary folk music, connecting more than 170 industry professionals from 20+ countries and generating more than £2 million in annual artist bookings.
EFEx 2027 will run from Wednesday 10th March through to the early hours of Saturday 13th March, with most delegate activity taking place over the first three days. Manchester Folk Festival 2027 runs concurrently, with an additional full day of performances on Saturday 13th March.
Festivalgoers can join Vic Jay for a relaxed, beginner-friendly workshop exploring the art of corn dolly making. These free drop-in sessions combine making with storytelling, offering an introduction to the origins, folklore and craft of working with straw. Sound Practitioner Paige Jones will also lead an immersive sound meditation, inviting attendees to reset, unwind and experience a deep state of relaxation through the power of sound.
In Jonti Bayram of Hiraeth Wood’s spoon-carving workshop, participants will work from a prepared, axed-out piece of wood, learning to use carving tools to shape their own wooden spoon. This beginner-friendly session focuses on developing essential carving skills while enjoying the mindful process of creating something by hand.
Elsewhere, Manchester Sacred Harp return to Hallé St Peter’s with another workshop introducing participants to shape note singing and four-part harmony rooted in 19th-century American folk hymns. Sketch & Café will also host their ever-popular ‘Sketch & Listen’ sessions, where attendees can capture live performances on paper.
The festival’s jam-packed folk sessions will also return to The Smithfield Market Tavern, bringing musicians together to play traditional tunes for themselves and audiences alike. Returning in 2027 are the University of Manchester Folk and Ceilidh Society, Paco González’s Old Time & Bluegrass session and Rosie Butler-Hall & Ray Cunningham, alongside an exciting collaboration with The Gateway to Manchester Tradfest for an Onóra Irish Music trad session.
“No mud but rain likely, Manchester Folk Festival has built an enviable reputation for having an intriguing assortment of established and up-and-coming acts” – Irish Music Magazine
Second-release four-day Festival Legends 2027 wristbands, which provide access to all festival shows, are now on sale after the early tier allocations sold out. Fans are encouraged to secure their wristbands early for the best value, before prices increase again in late November.
Festival Legends can curate their own festival experience, moving effortlessly between intimate venues and main stages while enjoying performances from more than 20 artists each evening. Alongside an exclusive wristband holder only concert with Jim Moray and an opening reception, next year’s wristband holders will also gain full access to the festival’s newly added opening day on Wednesday 10 March at Stoller Hall, featuring concerts across three stages and kicking off the festival’s tenth year in a remarkable fashion.
Visiting for just an evening or weekend? Individual concert tickets for headline shows are now on sale.
Further artists and more details of free traditional sing-arounds and sessions, workshops, Morris dancing and emerging stages spotlighting must-see talent will be announced this November.
MEET THE ARTISTS
The second wave of Manchester Folk Festival’s lineup celebrates high-energy ensembles, trailblazing folk favourites and soul-stirring singer-songwriters:
Eliza Carthy is one of the most recognisable faces of the English folk revival. Over her illustrious 35-year career, has remained one of the most original and engaging performers of her generation. Following the release of long-awaited new music from Eliza Carthy & the Restitution, this musical force of nature will headline Stoller Hall on Friday 12 March 2027.
Jim Moray is a defining figure in contemporary British folk, reshaping traditional song through a distinctive, often cinematic approach. For more than two decades, his singular vision has helped reconfigure the modern folk landscape and next spring he will bring his boldly experimental arrangements to Manchester.
Barry Kerr is riding a remarkable new wave of recognition, with his seventh studio album, Curlew’s Cry, named Folk Album of the Year in March 2026. A celebrated composer, singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and visual artist, Barry is known for work that captures the raw pulse and quiet poetry of Irish life.
AK Patterson is a London-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose music blends gritty honesty with haunting beauty. Known for her unflinching exploration of dark and complex themes, Patterson will invite listeners into her gorgeously melancholic musical world.
The songs of Northumbrian folk alchemists The Brothers Gillespie are animated by lyrical poetry, fluid fingerstyle guitar, multi-instrumental musicianship and “the glorious tones of their blood harmony”. Attendees can experience their rare rapport on Thursday night at Hallé at St Michael’s.
Wielding the distinct voices of fiddle, concertina and mandolin, the Grace Smith Trio brings together three like-minded musicians in a mesmerising and expressive musical dialogue.
Just as the first wave of festival artists celebrated new collaborative projects, this lineup reveal features further unique partnerships:
Two distinctive and cherished voices in British folk music team up in this exciting new collaboration. Both Belinda O’Hooley and Jackie Oates are celebrated for their exquisite musicianship, deeply expressive music and warm, down-to-earth connection with their audiences, which festivalgoers can experience for themselves on the festival’s opening night.
Strange Heavens is a new long-form musical work by folk musician Jon Wilks and writer and editor Rich Lines, inspired by the paintings of Sir Stanley Spencer at National Trust Sandham Memorial Chapel in North Hampshire.
Inspired by Steeleye Span, Clannad’s Robin of Sherwood OST and children’s TV adventure shows from the early 1990s, Spencer Cullum, Hollowhand and Erin Rae will perform newly penned songs that fondly evoke their shared love of soundtracks.
Multi-instrumentalist Tamsin Elliott and oud virtuoso Tarek Elazhary will also deliver a boundary-defying performance, exploring the parallels and idiosyncrasies of Egyptian and English folk traditions.
Through a partnership between English Folk Expo and Music PEI, Bev Lee Harling has been working with Canadian artist Tara MacLean on a very special pan-Atlantic project. Following time spent together in Prince Edward Island and Manchester, this concert will be a chance to hear music from two wonderfully talented singer-songwriters.
For further singer-songwriter magic, attendees can look to Catherine Maclellan, Chloe Foy and Quincey May Brown, who will each bring intimate and captivating standalone performances.
For spirit-lifting sets, attendees can head to the Festival Club, where Mishra will marvel with their meditative raag-inspired improvisations and high-energy Celtic dance tunes, rousing acoustic troubadours Track Dogs will impress with their brass-fuelled fusion of folk, Latino and Americana and six-piece progressive instrumental folk outfit Pons Aelius will ensure an electrifying, show-stopping performance.
The lowest-price Festival Legends wristbands are available until late November, after which prices will increase. Each four-day wristband grants access to all Manchester Folk Festival shows taking place from Wednesday 10 to Saturday 13 March 2027 (T&Cs apply).
