Gate To Southwell Festival 2024

Rhiannon Giddens, Blue Rose Code, Manran, Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening, The Haar, Melrose Quartet and much more.

There are already great expectations for this summer's Gate To Southwell Festival (July 4th to 7th). The GTSF organisers have confirmed high-quality international headliners such as multi-award winning American folk legend Rhiannon Giddens (nominated for two more Grammys in 2024), celebrated Scottish band Manran, traditional Irish music stars The Haar and a triumvirate of acclaimed Canadian artists including The Fugitives and singer/songwriters Catherine McClellan and Tara MacLean.

New Year additions to this already strong line-up feature a welcome return to Southwell for “one of the greatest live acts around” (Americana UK) in Ross Wilson aka Blue Rose Code who will perform with his Big Caley Soul Band. And the festival will open with “wildly thrilling” (The Guardian) headline act Northumbrian piper Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening – a very welcome return as Kathryn performed at the first GTSF back in 2007. Plus there’ll be another award-winning Scottish act in the unique An Dannsa Dub who manage to fuse folk with reggae and dance music.

Adding to the typically eclectic and international music mix over four days at GTSF 2024, there’ll be Americana stars Campbell/Jensen featuring Glen Campbell’s daughter Ashley, Sheffield’s folk supergroup the Melrose Quartet (feat Nancy Kerr, James Fagan and Jess and Richard Arrowsmith), Gambian kora player and percussionist Suntou Susso, English folk troubadour Reg Meuross, the Australian sister duo Charm of Finches and many more artists. Thursday July Fourth will also be marked by The Great American Songbook on the Folk Stage.

Plus there’ll be dance, comedy, spoken word, great food, drink, craft fairs and family entertainment, with camping and glamping, all in a beautiful rural location just outside Southwell (England’s most perfect market town according to the Daily Telegraph in 2023).

Tickets are selling fast, despite the recent wet winter weather, mainly because the last three years at GTSF have been splendidly hot and sunny. Nevertheless, prophets of doom will be relieved to hear that there will definitely be a rain cover for the main Lake Stage in 2024. This will offer the best of both worlds with open sides so audiences can enjoy the inevitable July sunshine without missing any of the musical action onstage.

This will be the seventeenth Gate To Southwell Festival and the Nottinghamshire international roots and acoustic music event has had glowing reviews in recent years. R&R magazine described it as “a great favourite with an excellent cast list” and “possibly the best small folk and roots festival in the UK”.

Disabled Facilities: All accessibility needs catered for. Toilets, parking camping etc.