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Friday 1^st March to Sunday 3^rd March

IVFDF is the country's longest continually running folk festival, aimed squarely at students (although anyone who feels they can keep up is welcome) and run by a different university each year. IVFDF is a non-stop weekend based (fairly broadly) around traditional forms of music and dance.

In 2013 for the record breaking 8th time it will be hosted by Sheffield.

Main Acts

Blackbeard’s Tea Party

Funky folk tunes, saucy songs and an infectious stage energy. Blackbeard's Tea Party mix ﬁddles & squeezeboxes, guitar noise & synth bass, and a feast of international hand percussion to bring you an unforgettable folk-rock extravaganza. Grounded in English traditions - but never afraid to explore more exotic musical avenues - they create a sound that is equal parts tasty, dramatic and danceable.

Professor Elemental

Professor Elemental is a rather splendid steampunk chap-hop artist whose favourite subjects include tea, village fetes and ﬁghting trousers. So why not make yourself a pot of Earl Grey, bring a slice of batternberg, while the Professor brews you a nice hip hop number, stirs in some comedy, then serves it with scones and a nice warm cuddle. Altogether now....when I say Assam, you say lovely!

Bell Hagg Orkestar

From Odessa, across the Balkans and over the Carpathians (but mostly Sheﬃeld) come the Bell Hagg Orkestar to delight, entertain and make you dance. The Bell Hagg Orkestar combines the bitter and twisted sounds of Poke with eastern european troubadors Minnie Moosika. They play bars, cabarets, festivals, anywhere where people want to kick up their heels and lose themselves in a frenzy. From the Black Sea to the red skies a klezmer gypsy knees up! A wall of brass, clarinets, drums, bass, strings and voices woven round tradi -tional Eastern European dance music.

Pilgrims’ Way

Refreshingly different, reassuringly traditional, Pilgrims' Way are a 3-piece band with a big personality and big sound. Playing their own particular brand of Folk music, they were brought together by a series of chance meetings at sessions around the North West of England, bonding over red hair and a shared love of traditional music, they have been shaking up assorted kitchens, public houses and folk venues ever since.

Hekety

Mixing traditional and self-penned tunes, Hekety have been playing cutting edge English dance music since their formation in 1997. Based in Sheﬃeld, South Yorkshire they have performed to much acclaim at festivals and other events throughout the country.

Luke Brady's Scottish Dance Band

Luke is one of the younger musicians who plays for Scottish dancing. He has recorded 3 CDs, as well as being one of the bands on the Society recording for Graded Book 2.

Stick Shift

Stick Shift is an exciting dance band that, like all the best overnight sensations, has evolved over several years. Nigel and Robbie had played together for a long time in various dance bands and in many a tunes session. Holly's arrival on ﬁddle and piano turned out to be the catalyst that fused with Nigel and Robbie's pyrotechnical ﬁddle, mandolin, banjo, guitar and bass playing of Scottish, Irish and American tunes to produce a driving, melodic sound underpinned by Holly's acclaimed, rock-solid piano.

The Albion Band

The Albion Band are an English folk/rock band, originally conceived, brought together and led by musician Ashley Hutchings. Generally considered one of the most important groupings in the genre, it has contained or been associated with a large proportion of major English folk performers in its long and ﬂuid history. In 2011 for the ﬁrst time in the band’s history, Ashley stepped aside to let son, Blair Dunlop, lead a new generation of folk artists from a range of backgrounds in shaping a new Albion Band that went back to the band’s roots to make English rock music rooted in tradition.

About Sheffield

Sheffield has always been a focus for traditional music and dance, and Sheffield University CeilidhSoc is one of the longest running in the country; in recent times Sheffield has only increased its reputation as a folk mecca and is starting to read like a who's who in the folk world, boasting such acts as Crucible, Trinculo, Hekety and James Raynard as well as new talent such as GloryStrokes and Tegwen Roberts. There is also a wealth of morris and rapper sides such as Triskele Sword, Sheffield City Morris, Mr Fox, Sheffield City Giants, Pecsaetan and Boggart's Breakfast. Many of these acts have originated with Sheffield University CeilidhSoc and members still attend ceilidhs regularly or participate in scratch bands. There is at least one session every night of the week and ceilidhs are vibrant, fun and packed full of students, ex-students and wannabe students in a friendly welcoming atmosphere. Sheffield now has its own annual folk festival at Kelham island with a mixture of both local and national talent.