Folk Calendar

Saturday 26 December

Boxing Day

Born on this day: Seán McGuire (1927)

Folklore from the old calendars

Boxing Day in the old calendars 8 entriesThe Inner Temple Christmas, Christmas boxes, Goose pies in the North Riding, Hunting the wren at Middleton, Beating the lapstone, No game laws on St Stephen’s Day, No fasting on St Stephen’s even, Holly-beating on St Stephen’s Day
Bleeding the horses No longer kept EnglandIt was an old belief that on St Stephen's Day horses should be galloped hard and then bled, to keep them free of disease for the coming year.
Stephening No longer kept BuckinghamshireOn St Stephen's Day the whole parish of Drayton Beauchamp went to the rectory and claimed the right to as much bread, cheese and ale as they liked at the rector's expense.
The servants’ holiday at Chester No longer kept CheshireCheshire farm servants were hired from New Year's Eve to Christmas Day, and then took six or seven days off, leaving their masters to manage alone.
The Northumberland sword dancers Still kept NorthumberlandA correspondent of the Table Book, describing the miners of Northumberland, wrote that the old custom of sword dancing at Christmas was kept up there only by the pitmen.

Sat 26 Dec 10:30 12:00
Custom

Hunt the Wren

The Woodbourne, Douglas, Isle of Man
Sat 26 Dec 11:00 12:00
Custom

Marshfield Paper Boys

Sets off from Market Place, Marshfield, Gloucestershire
Sat 26 Dec from 11:00
Custom

Grenoside Sword Dance

Old Harrow Inn, Grenoside, South Yorkshire
Sat 26 Dec 11:00 16:00
Custom

Handsworth Sword Dance

St Mary’s Church, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Dance
- Boxing Day
Sat 26 Dec 11:00 14:00
Session

Camberwell Green URC Scottish Session

Camberwell Green United Reformed Church Hall, London, Greater London
Sat 26 Dec 11:15 14:15
Custom

Headington Quarry Boxing Day Mummers

Masons Arms, Headington Quarry, Oxfordshire

Sat 26 Dec 12:00 14:30
Custom

Crookham Mummers

The Exchequer, Crookham Village, Hampshire
- Mumming play
- Boxing Day
Sat 26 Dec 13:00 15:00
Session

Traditional Celtic Session

Globe Inn, Looe, Cornwall

Maintained
Sat 26 Dec 13:00 16:00
Session

Edinburgh Intermediate Trad Session

Leith Depot, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sat 26 Dec 14:00 16:00

Session

Nags Head Sessions

The Nags Head, Scalby, North Yorkshire
Sat 26 Dec 14:00 15:00
Custom

Boxing Day Cammag at St John’s

Tynwald Hill, St John's, Isle of Man
Sat 26 Dec 14:00 16:00
Session

Howl at the Moon Saturday Session

Howl at the Moon, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sat 26 Dec 14:00 18:00
Session

Fagan’s Saturday Afternoon Session

Fagan’s, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Mixed
- Beginners welcome
Sat 26 Dec 14:00 16:00
Session

Sandy Bell’s Saturday Afternoon Session

Sandy Bell’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sat 26 Dec 15:00 17:00
Session

Wandering Palate Irish Folk Jam

Wandering Palate, Eccles, Greater Manchester
Sat 26 Dec 15:00 18:00
Session

Seamus’s Saturday Session

Seamus’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sat 26 Dec 15:00 18:00
Session

Dougal’s Saturday Session

Dougal’s Pub, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sat 26 Dec 16:00 18:00
Session

Fox Haggerston Saturday Session

The Fox, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sat 26 Dec 19:00 21:00
Session

White Hart Singaround

The White Hart, Mickleby, North Yorkshire
- Mixed
- Singaround
Sat 26 Dec 19:30 22:00
Session

Folk at the Fold

The Fold, New House Farm, Bransford, Worcestershire
- Mixed
Sat 26 Dec 20:00 23:00
Session

Sir Colin Campbell Saturday Session

Sir Colin Campbell, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sat 26 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

George and Dragon Acton Session

George and Dragon, London, Greater London
Sat 26 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

Sesiwn Rowen

Tŷ Gwyn, Rowen, Conwy
Sat 26 Dec 20:30 23:30
Session

Fagan’s Saturday Evening Session

Fagan’s, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Mixed
Sat 26 Dec 21:00 23:00
Session

Hanover Arms Irish Session

The Hanover Arms, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sat 26 Dec 21:00 23:00
Session

Sandy Bell’s Saturday Session

Sandy Bell’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sat 26 Dec 21:30 23:30
Session

Royal Oak Saturday Folk Session

Royal Oak, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh

Sunday 27 December

Sun 27 Dec Time to be confirmed
Dance

Gunthorpe Village Hall Ceilidh

Gunthorpe Village Hall, Gunthorpe, Nottinghamshire
- Ceilidh
- Dance
Sun 27 Dec 11:00 13:00
Morris Practice

Wantsum Morris Men practice

Old Schools Hall, Minster, Kent
- Cotswold
- The Morris Ring
Sun 27 Dec 11:00 13:00
Morris Practice

AnnieMation practice

Colchester Roman Circus, Colchester, Essex
Sun 27 Dec 12:00 14:00

Session

Puddington Sunday Session

Puddington Village Hall, Puddington, Devon
Sun 27 Dec 12:00 14:00
Session

Tap and Spile Sunday Session

Tap and Spile, Morpeth, Northumberland
- Mixed
- Traditional
Sun 27 Dec 13:30 15:30
Morris Practice

Ledbury Morris practice

The Royal Oak, Much Marcle, Herefordshire
Sun 27 Dec 14:00 17:00
Session

Bia Sunday Irish Session

Bia Cafe Bar, Levenshulme, Greater Manchester
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 14:00 16:00
Session

Old Crown Slow Irish Session

The Old Crown, Digbeth, West Midlands
Sun 27 Dec 14:00 16:00
Session

The Humber Sunday Acoustic Session

The Humber, Coventry, West Midlands
- Mixed
Sun 27 Dec 14:00 18:00
Session

Vinyl Bar Sunday Session

Vinyl Bar, Glasgow, City of Glasgow
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 14:00 16:00
Session

Edinburgh Scandi Session

The Outhouse, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
- Tune
- Scandi
Sun 27 Dec 14:00 16:30
Session

Carpenters Session

Carpenters Arms, Callington, Cornwall

Maintained
Sun 27 Dec 14:00 17:00
Session

Fintry Inn Sunday Session

Fintry Inn, Fintry, Stirling
Sun 27 Dec 14:00 19:00
Dance

Bal Miniscule

Isis Farmhouse, Oxford, Oxfordshire

Cancelled No bal this month: Balfolk Oxford has its Christmas party on 13 December instead
- Bal
- Dance
Sun 27 Dec 14:30 17:00
Session

Brickfolk

The Cross Keys, London, Greater London
Sun 27 Dec 15:00 17:30
Session

Southampton Traditional Music Session

Raven and Bine, Southampton, Hampshire
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 15:00 18:00
Session

Hourglass Acoustic Singaround

The Hourglass Micropub, New Milton, Hampshire
- Song
- Singaround
Sun 27 Dec 15:00 17:00
Session

Farmers Arms Music & Song Session

Farmers Arms, Kelsall, Cheshire
- Mixed
Sun 27 Dec 15:00 17:00
Session

The Ship Sunday Session

The Ship, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 15:00 17:00
Session

Lion Irish Session

The Lion at Basford, Basford, Nottinghamshire
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 15:00 17:00
Session

MacGregor’s Oban Sunday Session

MacGregor’s at The Whisky Vaults, Oban, Argyll and Bute
Sun 27 Dec 15:30 19:00
Session

Ericht Alehouse Sunday Session

Ericht Alehouse, Blairgowrie, Perth and Kinross
Sun 27 Dec 16:00 18:00
Session

Howl at the Moon Sunday Session

Howl at the Moon, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 16:00 18:00
Session

Myddleton Arms Sunday Session

The Myddleton Arms, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 16:00 18:00
Session

Fibber McGee’s Sunday Irish Session

Fibber McGee’s, Sale Moor, Greater Manchester
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 16:00 18:00
Session

Old Crown Irish Session

The Old Crown, Digbeth, West Midlands
Sun 27 Dec 16:00 18:00
Session

Sandy Bell’s Sunday Afternoon Session

Sandy Bell’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sun 27 Dec 16:00 19:00
Session

Black Cat Sunday Session

The Black Cat, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 16:30 19:30
Session

Penny Black Sunday Session

Penny Black, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sun 27 Dec 17:00 19:00
Session

Minerva Sessions

The Minerva, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire
Sun 27 Dec 17:00 20:00
Session

Sociograss Sunday Jam

The Bowlers Rest, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sun 27 Dec 17:30 19:30
Session

Whiskey Tumbler Sunday Session

The Whiskey Tumbler, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 17:30 20:30
Session

Seamus’s Sunday Session

Seamus’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sun 27 Dec 17:30 20:30
Session

Dougal’s Sunday Session

Dougal’s Pub, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sun 27 Dec 18:00 20:00
Session

Hootananny Sunday Session

Hootananny, Inverness, Highland
Sun 27 Dec 18:30 20:30
Session

Fox Haggerston Sunday Session

The Fox, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 18:30 20:30
Session

Mary Madden’s Irish Session

Mary Madden’s, Enfield, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 18:30 20:30
Session

Three Wishes Irish Session

The Three Wishes, London, Greater London
- Mixed
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 18:30 20:30
Session

McCafferty’s Ilford Irish Session

McCafferty’s, Ilford, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 18:45 21:15
Morris Practice

Mortimer’s Morris practice

St John’s Church Community Centre, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 21:00
Session

Exmouth Sunday Acoustic Session

GWRSA Railway Club, Exmouth, Devon
- Mixed
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 21:00
Session

Bowling Green Irish Session

Bowling Green Hotel, Chorlton, Greater Manchester
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 21:00
Morris Practice

Golden Star Morris practice

St Catherine’s Church Hall, Norwich, Norfolk
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 21:00
Morris Practice

Way of the Wyrd practice

Thorpe Acre Church Hall, Loughborough, Leicestershire
- Border
- The Morris Federation
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 22:30
Session

Sir Colin Campbell Sunday Session

Sir Colin Campbell, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 21:00
Session

WB Yeats Sunday Session

The WB Yeats, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 21:00
Session

Folk of the Round Table Sunday Open Session

SET Social, London, Greater London
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 23:00
Session

Dog & Partridge Sunday Acoustic Session

Dog & Partridge, Sheffield, South Yorkshire
- Mixed
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 22:00
Session

How Serene Singing Circle

The Ivory Hotel, Glasgow, City of Glasgow
Sun 27 Dec 19:00 22:00
Session

The FolkScore session

The Muddled Man, West Chinnock, Somerset

Maintained
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 21:30

Session

Tradesman’s Arms Session

Tradesman’s Arms, Scorriton, Devon
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:30
Session

Marnhull Tunes Session

Blackmore Vale Inn, Marnhull, Dorset
- Tune
- Traditional
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:30
Session

Convivial Rabbit Folk Session

Convivial Rabbit, Dorchester, Dorset
- Mixed
- Contemporary
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:30
Session

Harbour Room Evening Session

The Harbour Room, Blakeney, Norfolk
- Mixed
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 21:30
Session

Queen’s Folk Club

The Queen’s Hall, Leeds, West Yorkshire
- Mixed
- Singaround
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 21:30
Session

Green Man Sunday Session

The Green Man, Liverpool, Merseyside
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 21:30
Session

Wolverton Acoustic Club

The MADCAP Theatre, Wolverton, Buckinghamshire
- Mixed
- Beginners welcome
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 21:30
Session

Hole in the Wall Irish Session

The Hole in the Wall, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 21:30
Session

South Shields Folk Club

South Tyneside Indoor Bowls and Social Club, South Shields, Tyne and Wear
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:00
Session

Kelham Island Tavern Songs and Tunes Session

Kelham Island Tavern, Kelham Island, South Yorkshire
- Mixed
- Traditional
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:00
Session

Shebeen Irish Session

Steam Clifton, Bristol, Bristol
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 21:30
Session

Luddite Folk Session

King William IV, Sneinton, Nottinghamshire
- Mixed
- Traditional
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 21:30
Session

Dram Sunday Folk Session

Dram!, Glasgow, City of Glasgow
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:30
Session

Cask and Barrel Southside Sunday Session

Cask and Barrel Southside, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
- Tune
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:00
Session

Dunblane Folk Club

Victoria Halls (Lesser Hall), Dunblane, Stirling
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:30
Dance

Twixt and Between Christmas and New Year Ceilidh

South Brent Village Hall, South Brent, Devon
- Ceilidh
- Dance
Sun 27 Dec 19:30 22:30
Dance

Twixt’mas Community Ceilidh

Lazonby Village Hall, Lazonby, Cumbria
- Ceilidh
- Dance
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

The Monkey Folk Club

Monkseaton Arms, Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear
- Song
- Singaround
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

Half Moon Irish Session

The Half Moon, Oxford, Oxfordshire
- Mixed
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

Session in Eynsham

The Queens Head, Eynsham, Oxfordshire
- Mixed
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 21:30
Morris Practice

Flag and Bone Gang practice

St John’s Church Hall, Harrogate, North Yorkshire
- The Morris Federation
- Mixed
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

Old Dispensary Irish Session

The Old Dispensary, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

Wimbledon Acoustic Music Session

The Sultan, London, Greater London
- Mixed
- Listeners Welcome
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 23:00
Session

Ben Nevis Sunday Session

The Ben Nevis, Glasgow, City of Glasgow
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:30
Session

Readifolk Singers’ Night

Community Hall, Watlington House, Reading, Berkshire
- Song
- English
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:30
Session

Horsham Folk Club Open Floor

The Normandy Centre, Horsham, West Sussex
- Mixed
- English
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

Brackley Folk and Acoustic Club Night

The Bell Inn, Brackley, Northamptonshire
- Mixed
Sun 27 Dec 20:00 22:00
Session

Llanidloes Sunday Session

The Stag Inn, Llanidloes, Powys
Sun 27 Dec 20:30 22:30
Session

The Lamb Sunday Session

The Lamb, London, Greater London
- Tune
- Irish
Sun 27 Dec 21:00 23:00
Session

West Malvern Session

West Malvern Social Club, Malvern, Worcestershire
- Tune
- Beginners welcome
Sun 27 Dec 21:00 23:00
Session

Sandy Bell’s Sunday Session

Sandy Bell’s, Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh
Sun 27 Dec 21:00 22:45
Session

Clachaig Inn Sunday Session

Clachaig Inn, Glencoe, Highland

Show more days

What’s on: folk sessions, morris, customs and folklore

Saturday 26 December

Sunday 27 December

Image credits