Big Session confirm Fatima Spar & The Freedom Fries, and Diana Jones

Big Session Festival, has almost completed this year's line-up, and have added Fatima Spar & The Freedom Fries, and Diana Jones, plus more to the bill.

Austrian folk brass band with a Turkish singer, Fatima Spar & The Freedom Fries, promise some sultry acoustic jazz, and the Nashville based singer-songwriter Diana Jones, is sure to captivate crowds at De Montfort Hall, Leicester with her bluegrass tinged folk music.

Also confirmed for the festival which takes place from Friday 19th to Sunday 21st June 2009 is Scottish folk musician Alasdair Roberts, Celtic bagpipe toting folksters Breabach, Wes Finch and The Dirty Band, Spiro, and Rosie Doonan & The Snap Dragons.

The latest additions also include up and coming international artist Delta Maid who will bring her acoustic roots music, Brighton based five piece The Miserable Rich showcasing their chamber folk pop, and the delicate barbed folk of Liz Green.

The line-up so far includes the previously confirmed headliners Levellers, and Billy Bragg, with Oysterband along with the Oyster Ceilidh Band, and John Jones & the Reluctant Ramblers, Kathryn Tickell Band, Edward II, Eliza Carthy Band, Adrian Edmondson & The Bad Shepherds, Peatbog Faeries, Blyth Power, The Shee, Ella Edmondson, Otis Gibbs, Karine Polwart, and 2009 Folk Award winners The Demon Barbers also confirmed.
Along with the pre-programmed music, expect there to be a beer tent with open mic space, artist lunchtime and impromptu sessions, a ceilidh, a market place, a children's area and more throughout the weekend.

The festival has a proper session bar which gives festival goers the opportunity to bring along their own instruments and join in the sessions hosted over the weekend. The Big Session provides a safe and secure cloakroom to leave instruments at over the weekend.

Early bird tickets have nearly sold out, the deadline is Saturday 28th February. They are currently on sale priced at £60 for the whole weekend, child (aged 5-15) tickets are priced at £25. Children under 5 years old are free. To buy tickets, click here.

Camper Vans are £15 per van, tent pitches are £5 per tent space required. These all must be pre-booked through the Box Office on 0116 233 3111.

The festivals also has a Kidzone run by the Big Kidz team loads of fun stuff for younger festival goers and their families, these include making things, crafts activities, games, music making, and much more.

This year the festival won the 'Greener Festival Award' for the second year on the trot, and have been given a special Red Kite Mark for their efforts to make the festival as environmentally friendly as they possibly can.

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