overview

An annual event running for the last 29 years, every May Holmfirth opens its little village for the folk community to enjoy some free events, taking place in various pubs and on the street. The fine weather this weekend has brought a lot of people from the surrounding areas and further afield to witness folk gigs, street performers and more than enough morris dancers.

Every available space in the tiny home of 'Last Of The Summer Wine' has people basking in the sunshine and enjoying the family friendly atmosphere of the village in the hills. Many of the pubs and venues involved; Civic Hall, The Picturedrome, The Nook (Rose & Crown), Carniceria, The Old Bridge Hotel, The Postcard Herveys, Les Caveaux, CragRats, Sid's Cafe, White Hart, The Market Halls on Hollowgate, The Shoulder of Motton, The Y Bar, have free entertainment throughout the day and some have paying concerts like Nick Harper at the Picturedrome on Friday evening, followed by John Cooper Clark and Mark Radcliffe on the Saturday.



There are performances over the weekend from musicians such as the Howard Brothers, the Climax Ceilidh Band, Milking The Lemon, Pat Smith and Ned Clamp, Old Man Pie, Roger Davies, Mad fox, Liz and Paul Davenport, and Hamish Currie amongst many others. The performances take place in the bars, pubs, and in the near hidden courtyards dotted about Holmfirth.

The festival fits into the lifestyle of the locals, running from 7pm on Friday to 7pm on Sunday, allowing everything to return to normal. Camping is allowed in the campsite behind the Co-Op supermarket, but as this has a public footpath running through it some trouble could be caused (a friend of mine had their tent trampled on the Saturday, but the local boy scout group running the campsite provided them with another for the night).



Having the concerts indoors means the limited space left outside can be used for many a dance from groups of brightly coloured teams like The Rumworth Morris Of Bolton and Wakefield Morris Dancers to bellydancing with the Urban Gypsies and Cotswold dancers Bunnies From Hell. For the late night revellers there are also a couple of hot performances from Mr Fox, swig fire and playing drums outside the haunting setting of the Methodist Church.

For the kids their everything from face painting and story-telling to family ceilidh with the Good Egg Band, street theatre like Pete White's Suitcase Circus and popular performances from the local Holme Valley schools.

There is a little park providing shade and a picturesque river running through the centre of Holmfirth, and with the hills surrounding the small valley that Compo, Clegg and Foggy used to mess about on, it really is a beautiful setting and an excuse if any for local city dwellers to get some much needed fresh air.

There are workshops for all ages too, ranging from singing, sacred harp singing (which, though it's name suggests, does not feature any instrument but the human voice), fiddle and guitar, pipes, Appalachian dance, Egyptian dance, hand and feet massage, morris dancing and my favourite; the right old noisy spoons!



A lot of thought has gone into this festival, with everyone involved (stewards, crew, etc) all lending a helping hand for free. The weather has turned this near-tradition from a wash-out last year to a glorious sunshine event this year, with much of the fun happening in the crowded centre rather than squeezing everyone into the small pubs.

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