New Lake Stage Cover
Prepare to be moved, surprised, and forever changed by the enchanting sounds that await you at this remarkable event. The Gate To Southwell Festival takes place from 3rd to 6th July 2025, again in a beautiful lakeside setting at Kirklington where we've been since 2021, just outside Southwell, Nottinghamshire (England's most perfect market town, according to The Daily Telegraph in 2023).
We've had glowing reviews, including from RNR Magazine on the 2024 festival, "...how brilliant is that? What a great festival!" and previously "excellent cast list...too many good performances to mention. It has become a great favourite, if you haven't been already, try it"
We're a not-for-profit organisation run by enthusiastic and experienced volunteers who love staging what 2023 festival-goers described as "quite possibly the best small folk and roots festival in the UK"! Any surplus income we generate is ploughed straight back into future events.
News...
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Big news for 2024 was the introduction of a cover for our main stage (The Lake Stage). The Folk Stage remains in a marquee, and our third stage (The Frontier Stage) will still be fully open. See the about us page here.
Line-Up 2024
In advance of confirming artists for 2025, here's the 2024 line-up:
Rhiannon Giddens
**EXCLUSIVE** GTSF 2024 will be the only chance to catch the incredible Rhiannon Giddens performing in the UK this summer. “Without doubt one of the most important roots artists of her generation and the most significant booking we’ve ever made”
Saturday
Blue Rose Code...
...with the Big Caley Soul Band! Ross Wilson aka Blue Rose Code writes songs straight from – and to - the heart, addressing universal themes of love, loss, home and faith, and seamlessly blending folk, Americana, jazz, soul and pop influences into something truly unique.
Friday
Kathryn Tickell & The Darkening
“Wildly thrilling” The Guardian, “unexpectedly cosmic” MOJO. Winner of every award going, Kathryn Tickell leads her celebrated new group creating a unique and striking soundscape.
Thursday
Mànran
Internationally recognised as one of the most iconic and respected Scottish bands on the road today, the seven-piece line-up continues to push boundaries, "Mànran live are electric and quite simply unstoppable" Sunday Herald.
Sunday
Daoirí Farrell Trio
Singer and bouzouki player described by some of the biggest names in Irish folk music as one of most important singers to come out of Ireland in recent years.
Sunday
The Haar
"spontaneous, alive and affecting, The Haar will take you on a journey and have you appreciating the purest of life’s pleasures" Folk Radio UK
Friday
Melrose Quartet
Nancy Kerr, James Fagan, Jess Arrowsmith & Richard Arrowsmith deliver a diverse folk repertoire – carousing chorus songs, lively dance tunes, ancient stories and modern pieces: this is music for everybody.
Friday
Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman
Multiple award winning duo, Kathryn & Sean are one of the British folk scene’s most rewardingly enduring partnerships.
Thursday
Reg Meuross
A true modern troubadour; contemporary English folk writing at its best. Captivating audiences with his beautiful tenor voice, and the breadth and depth of material
Sunday
An Dannsa Dub
Unique and unstoppable Scottish live act born out of a love for traditional Scottish folk, dub reggae and dance music, summoning the joyous, communal energy of a cèilidh and a sound system session!
Friday
