Category Archives: Folk festivals

Appearances at folk festivals.

White Horse Folk Festival

(And another late catchup on an event your scribe missed.)

The White Horse Folk Festival is a small festival in late summer. It starts with those Morris sides that can make it dancing on top of the venerable White Horse itself.

The weather was a little unpromising, but I think I recognise Icknield Way, Cornucopia and the Garston Gallopers amongst the fray.

A few pictures from the top of the hill.

Icknield
Hankies fly
Looking down the hill
Rounds!
Garston Gallopers
A full band
Musicians
Cornucopia
Garston Gallopers
Uh-oh. Rain.

After all the fun of the top of the hill, a little lunchtime dance somewhere more sheltered.

Back to Swanage

For the last couple of years, a select subset of Havocs have gone for a final season outing at the Swanage Folk Festival.

Swanage, of course, is by the sea.

Pete tests the waters…

Only a knotted hankie short of a full Gumby.

We danced at a few locations around the town, but being a bit shorthanded didnt have a spare photographer. So youll have to make do with some pictures from the parade. We’ve done the parade in previous years, but decided to spectate this year.

The parade…

… more parade,

… and still they come.

Bunkfest 2019

Wallingford Bunkfest is often our last local dance-out of the season. It’s always a fun day out.

As usual we danced at several locations around the town and the festival ground. We started the day on the early shift in front of the main stage.

In front of the main stage.

Pete and Mick concentrate.

Havoc musicians in front of the main stage.

Poor Nigel had had a recent close encounter with a surgeon, and was out of action, but turned out to lend support.

Is that stick to walk with, or to belabour bad dancers?

After which it was off to the Boathouse and the back to the Dance Stage on the Kinecroft before lunch.

In the festival Dance Stage.

.. and the lines are looking straight for once.

A fair morning’s work. After that we got a few hours break before finishing the day outside the Dolphin.

On top of the White Horse

The White Horse Folk Festival is a small festival based around Grove that usually happens somewhere in mid August. We’ve taking part in it in previous years. This year, though, there weren’t enough of us to join in for the full day.

But the weekend was also marking the 60th birthday of those stalwarts of the Vale of the White Horse, the Icknield Way Morris Men. We did, at least, manage to join them and some other guests near the top of Dragon Hill, just above the White Horse, to start the day with a dance or two in a great location.

The weather, alas, was not quite as kind as it could have been.

Icknield Way at 60.

We did one dance in rain and wind. But things cleared up a bit.

A view over the Vale.

Some of the the other sides.

Garston Gallopers.

Owlswick. Some of them.

Look carefully at the next picture.

A view to the east.

You can just make out the hyperbolic cooling towers from Didcot A Power Station. They were demolished the following morning. The view over southern Oxfordshire will never be quite the same.

Chippenham Folk Festival

It’s the last Saturday in May, and that means once more we’re off to the Chippenham Folk Festival for the day, dancing at various locations around the town with assorted other sides.

Let’s get started.

Getting underway in Borough Parade.

A different view of Borough Parade.

Cardiff City Morris might be Welsh, perhaps?

Then off to what was a new venue this year – a car park on the edge of Monkton Park. The timetable said we would be dancing with Oxford’s very own Summertown Morris.

A new venue this year. Ed sports an especially low-slung bumbag.

Hang on. They look kind of like Summertown, but different. In fact they’re Willington Morris, a sister side to Summertown from Derbyshire.

This is not Summertown.

After that, it was time for the parade. Our annual chance to dance down Chippenham High Street while not being able to hear a note our musicians play. This year our Buzzard made an appearance for the parade.

The Buzzard is out and about.

It was rather warm waiting for the parade to begin. The Buzzard was unmasked…

One Hot Buzzard.

Elsewhere, your correspondent particularly enjoyed watching the colourful Gog Magog Molly.

Gog Magog Molly are colourful.

Swanage Folk Festival – one last hurrah for Summer 2018

The AGM has been and gone, and we’re about to embark on a new practice season. One last snippet of the summer dance out programme remains, Swanage Folk Festival.

We took part in the dance programme on Saturday, starting outside the Heritage Centre with Beetlecrushers Step and Clog, and then on to the classical setting of the Prince Albert Gardens with Marlings Morris.

Marlings Morris at Prince Albert Gardens

Locals Baharah Bellydance on the Sea Front

After that, a trip to the Sea Front with locals Baharah Bellydance.

Dancing on the pier at Swanage

And then off to the pier for a little dance on our own.

Cry Havoc on the pier at Swanage

And then, time for the procession! The 2017 procession was notable for the rain that started just as we got moving, and completely soaked us before we’d got half way. This year the weather gods were more forgiving. You can see us, complete with unruly Buzzard, at 11 minutes in on this video.

White Horse Folk Festival

The White Horse Folk Festival is a small folk festival that takes place every year in locations in and close to the festival headquarters in Grove.

The day starts with a group dance on the top of the Uffington White Horse. We were one of the six sides that ascended the top to bemuse the various walkers and other visitors.

Kate, Charlotte and Murray at the White Horse.

As you can see, the morning weather was a a little restrained for August.

Icknield Morris Men on the White Horse

At midday we returned to dance at a couple of locations around the centre of Wantage.

Theale Tattoo clog dancers.

The day finished with a massed dance in Grove. By this stage the cloud layer had burnt off, and it was decidedly hot and sweaty by the end.

White Horse Folk Festival

After a week of rain, Saturday was a mercifully dry, and we had a fine old time dancing at various locations in and around Wantage for the White Horse Folk Festival.

The day started at the famous Uffington White Horse. Dancing just above the horse’s head, we had a brilliant view over the hills.

Our hosts Icknield Way led the way.

Icknield Way

We did three dances at the Horse.

Dancing Constant Billy atop the White Horse at Uffington.

And had time to enjoy the view.

Emma and Mick enjoy the view standing on the White Horse at Uffington.

Other local groups Cornucopia Clog and Rose Hips bellydance danced in the sunshine too.

All sides dancing at the White Horse at Uffington.

After that, we visited locations in Wantage and Grove, dancing 14 different dances in all. A busy day.

Chippenham Folk Festival 2015

Chippenham Folk Festival is a regular fixture in the Havoc calendar. We’ve had to deploy umbrellas more than once in the past, but Saturday May 23rd was a perfect day.

We started on the main stage and then proceeded to various dance spots about the town.

About to launch into ‘Constant Billy’ at the Chippenham Folk Festival.

It was a day for running into dance types less often encountered. Slovak dance group Morena plough a very different furrow to English folk.

Slovak Dance Group Morena at Chippenham.

We were on more familiar ground with Lancashire’s very own Regency Rejigged. A couple of Havocs have done Playford, and much looked familiar, or so they said.

Regency Rejigged at the Chippenham Folk Festival.

Bunkfest

The last weekend in August. It must be Bunkfest in Wallingford.

Cry Havoc were, as usual, part of the public dance programme. We appeared at four locations around the town centre, alternating with another side for 30 minute displays.

Dancing Lads A’Buncham at the Dolphin, Wallingford, on the Saturday of Bunkfest.

Dancing Young Collins at the Cross Keys, Wallingford, on the Saturday of Bunkfest.