Gainsborough Festival 2025
The 2025 festival will run from Friday 14th, ending after the evening concert on Sunday 16th February.
Please visit our dedicated festival website for ticket prices and more information.
For more general information and history of the festival, please read on....
Annual Festival
Following the formation of FOAOTMAD in 1993 the first annual festival, originally referred to as a "gathering", was held over a February weekend in 1995, in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire; home of the late Keith Johnson, founder of the organisation. From small beginnings it has grown into an event that is now widely recognised as the biggest and best American old-time music event in Europe. It brings together a superb line up of leading performers from America, Canada, Europe and the UK.
Currently held in the Queen Elizabeth’s High School in Gainsborough, a venue suitable for the large number of attendees, it takes place at the start of the school’s half term holiday in February, beginning on the Friday evening and finishing on Sunday evening. Both indoor and outdoor camping are available at the school, and there is a choice of local accommodation for non-campers.
Currently held in the Queen Elizabeth’s High School in Gainsborough, a venue suitable for the large number of attendees, it takes place at the start of the school’s half term holiday in February, beginning on the Friday evening and finishing on Sunday evening. Both indoor and outdoor camping are available at the school, and there is a choice of local accommodation for non-campers.
Gainsborough 2024 Sunday afternoon slow jam session.
The weekend usually consists of concerts on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings featuring all the artists. During the day there are various workshops with subjects ranging from beginners to advanced playing of a range of old-time instruments, singing and singing techniques, Appalachian clogging, slow jam sessions and much, much more. Saturday afternoon features the ever-popular Scratch Band competition, and a square dance for all callers. Informal sessions can be found around the school during the day, and if you are so inclined you can also join in the late-night sessions that start after the concerts have ended.
One of Keith’s original aims was to bring old-time musicians from the USA to the UK, and this is something that has been continued ever since. In recent years bands such as The Empty Bottle String Band, The Horsenecks, Bigfoot Stringband and the Moose Whisperers have all appeared. Other musicians such as Rachel Eddy, Howard Rains and Tricia Spencer, Emily Schaad and Travis Stuart plus many singers and dancers from the UK and Europe, have also graced the stage at the festival.
The festival gives our members the opportunity to meet up with friends, to sit and play or sing together and, as has happened in the past, form new bands. We also give instrument makers etc. the opportunity to display their products, and of course the festival is a good place to purchase both old and newly released CD’s from the various artists appearing.
