Free Festivals

A question about : Free Festivals

For a full list of the UK's free festivals and carnivals see the

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Free Festivals page

If you've spotted or heard of a free festival please tell us with as much detail as possible, including where and when it is. We'll then check out whether it's free for all and, if it is, add it onto the page.

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Best answers:

• Another one for your list:
  Meadows Festival, Edinburgh 5th & 6th June 2010
  The Meadows Festival is organised and run entirely by volunteers, during the first weekend of June, for the local community.
  5th & 6th June 2010
  https://www.meadowsfestival.org.uk/
  https://img179.imageshack.us/img179/2...2010poster.jpg
  Two live music stages with something to suit every musical taste!
  A popular kids tent with activities to keep younger visitors entertained - including face painting, story telling and much more
  Stalls selling everything from antiques, clothing, fair trade products etc
  information stalls of various types - local associations, campaigns, charities etc
  Food stalls to suit every taste and appetite
  The art tent with a selection of artwork from students at the ECA
  Taylors funfair are situated to the west of the Festival site
  Primary school football competition in which various local primary schools compete
  Best of all Woodenbox with a fistful of fivers are playing on the main stage:
  https://www.myspace.com/awoodenbox
• one for the list
  Darwen music live 2010 2 day event may 30th and 31st approx 4 stages with live bands also playing in surrounding pubs.
• Falmouth International Sea Shanty Festival, June 18th to 20th, in Falmouth, Cornwall is a ticketless festival with free access to all events. However the aim of this festival is to generate funds for the wonderful RNLI (Royal National Lifeboats Association) so one encounters various volunteers wandering about with buckets, hoping for monetary contributions from those of us who have come to hear (and sing along with!) the Shanty Crews. This year's line up includes groups from Cornwall, Wales, Ireland, England, Guernsey, France, Germany and the Netherlands. 23 groups are listed, so far, on their website, which you can find by typing "Falmouth Shout" into your search engine
  This is a wonderfully informal and very enjoyable festival and it is entirely up to each individual's conscience as to whether they buy a programme and/or donate to the Lifeboat service. I have been attending this festival for the last 4 years and am happily looking forward to going again this year..... and yes I will be contributing to the RNLI collection buckets, as I owe my life to one particular RNLI lifeboat crew !
• One of the best I've ever been to. Great atmosphere & a decent selection of music:
  Ipswich Music Day, this year on 4th July: https://www.ip-art.com/what%27s-on/music-day.aspx
• Keswick Convention. 17-23 July, 24-30 July, 31 July-6 August. Totally free (you just have to pay for local camping/self-catering/whatever).
  https://www.keswickministries.org/programme
  Bible teaching, great worship, music and fellowship, with separate Kids and Youth programmes (ages 3-18), in the fab town of Keswick in the Lake District. Lots of places to camp, plenty self-catering around.
  
  We went as a family a couple of years ago and it was great. You don't have to be a Christian to go, although you would enjoy it a lot more if you were sympathetic/interested. The singing is amazing and the kids' groups are excellent.
• Now in its’ 10th year, this is a small but perfectly formed family friendly festival set in the beautiful Devon countryside eight miles north of Exeter.
  There is a wide selection of free gigs featuring both local and international acoustic, jazz, blues and folk bands,
  Other entertainment includes a WW2 concert party, a classical concert, an art & craft exhibition, street entertainment, a picnic with live music plus a food and craft market.
  There are over 30 bands playing throughout the weekend, including Hobo Jones & the Junkyard Dogs, Jackie Oates, Ellethia, Jim Causley, The Joyce Gang and Julian Piper.
  The highlight of this year’s festival is the Saturday night concert by ‘Show of Hands’.
  For more details go to the Bradninch events web site.
• Opera in the Park at Temple Newsam, Leeds on 24 July (day before Party in the Park)
  Line-up not confirmed yet (or at least, I can't find it) but has had some big names in the past (Katherine Jenkins headlined last year I believe).
  Tickets are free and available from June 5/6 at various Leeds City Council information points and Leeds Leisure centres
• https://www.montrosemusicfestival.co.uk/index.html
  28th - 30th May. All free apart from ticketed gig on the Friday night. A great weekend of music, this is now the third year this has been running.
• A couple more for the list - Southwark Council's free youth carnival, The Mix, is on 14 August https://www.southwark.gov.uk/events/event/205/, with Mercury prize rapper Speech Debelle.
  Also the UK's biggest Latin American festival, Carnaval del Pueblo is on 1 August: https://www.carnavaldelpueblo.co.uk/
• One more for the list....
  b-side multi media festival, September 17th - 26th 2010.
  Explore the flip side of the British seaside. New work created by artists will inhabit Weymouth & Portland, Dorset for one week only...huge light projections, choral performances in an underground bunker and much more.
  More seaside bric not brac!
• What a load of rubbish!
  Shall I add my village fete as well!
  Thought there would be some decent music festivals there for people under 90, but just old age pensioner ones
• The Bermondsey Carnival
  The Bandstand
  Southwark Park
  Jamaica Road
  London
  SE16
  Saturday 12th June 2010
  12.00pm - 18.00pm
  One of London's oldest free events is again back with a bang!
  This fantastic, family freindly, funday, that this year will be commemorating the 70th anniversary of the London Blitz.
  There will be a street parade by local schools and organisations through the streets of Bermondsey.
  Live on Stage:
  X Factors - Stacey Solomon and Andy Abraham
  The legendary Rose- Marie
  and local artists
  A traditional fun fair
  Food stalls
  Licenced Bars
  And much, much more
  Nearest tubes
  Bermondsey/Canada Water (Jubilee Line)
  Rotherhithe/ Surrey Quays (East London Line)
  Buses.
  188, 47, 381, c10, P12, 255
• Free Festival - North East
  https://www.southtyneside.info/applic...summerfestival
  Head to South Shields seafront this summer for three months of fantastic free entertainment!
  With live music, brass bands, parades, parties and open-air concerts there's something for everyone to enjoy throughout June, July and August.
• Hi there. Please note that the Great Linford Waterside festival runs from Friday June 18th to Sunday June 20th this year, not just Friday and Saturday as in your list.
  ta
• Working at festivals is highly recommended, I stumbled across some work at one the the Gatecrasher Summer Sound Ststem Festivals a few years back behind a bar (although i was praying I wasn't in the RnB tent) and I was happily dancing along to Tall Paul, Seb Fontaine and Mauro Picotto DJing whilst serving many bottles of water. I should have been paid for it, but for some reason i didn't - and it's the one job I didn't mind doing for free. The hours are long, but if you are very lucky like i was you will love every minute of it Left Stoke at around mid-day and travelled down to the site, returned the following day at about 10am!! Very tiring but a great experience!!
  There are no dates for the summer sound system this year (apparently) but there is still Creamfields and Global Gathering which you can contact to see if they need people!!
  Go and do it folks, you'll have a blast!!
• The Blues Festival in Colne, Lancashire. You have to pay for the main stage, but most of the venues are free and there are people performing in virtually every pub in the town. 27th - 30th August
  www dot bluesfestival dot co.uk
• Hi,
  Below are details from the Dundee Blues Bonanza website.
  The Dundee Blues Bonanza is an "All Day, All Free, All Blues" festival, taking place this year on 23rd, 24th and 25th
  July. The festival will take place across some 30 venues and will feature over 125 live performances, featuring artists and fans mainly from the UK and Europe but we have welcomed many others from all around the globe over the years.
  The Bonanza comprises a Friday Night International Promotional event this year featuring Mud Morganfield and the Dirty Aces and Lil Jimmy Reed and his "Kickass" band and this will take place at Dukes Corner (formerly The Doghouse) in Brown Street.
  The Saturday and Sunday Street Festival has been the foundation of the Bonanza for the last 15 years, and generates the famous "Bonanza Buzz", and regularly attracts over 12,000 visitors to Dundee.
  Finally on Sunday night we hold the DBB party, and this year it will feature Mud and Lil Jimmy. The party will take place in D!jа Vu Nightclub in the Cowgate.
• Please find attached link for Festival Too which provides free entertainment and fireworks:
  Saturday June 26th
  Free fireworks with Abba Tribute Act on Kings Staithe Square
  Friday 2nd July
  Kafkadiva local group
  Guns and Rose Tribute Act
  Saturday 3rd July
  Under the Influence local group
  Bunny Outfit local group
  The Beat Beatles Tribute Act
  Friday 9th July
  Jimmy Rocket local group
  Hayseed Dixie
  Saturday 10th July
  Take That 2 Tribute Act
  Lemar
  All these above acts are free, and are on the towns Tuesday Market Place.
  There is also free childrens entertainment around the town centre.
  This year we are celebrating 25 years of free entertainment.
  There will be people in the crowd with buckets collecting donations, if you have had a good evening, please help keep all these great events free and put some coins or paper in the buckets.
  Please see out webite www. festivaltoo.co.uk
  Thanks