SHREWSBURY FOLK FESTIVAL (UK) LIMITED

What SHREWSBURY FOLK FESTIVAL (UK) LIMITED does

Shrewsbury Folk Festival (UK) Limited is a privately held UK event organization that produces an annual four-day folk music festival held over the August Bank Holiday weekend (28–31 August 2026) at the West Midlands Showground in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1997 by Alan and Sandra Surtees, the festival features four music stages and a dance tent hosting ceilidhs, bals, contra dances, and morris and dance side displays, with a programming mix spanning traditional and contemporary folk, Americana, and world music. The festival is currently directed by Sandra Surtees following the 2017 death of co-founder Alan Surtees, with a small team of directors covering dance, education, and special projects.

The organization monetizes the event through ticket sales (day and weekend passes with camping options starting from £48.50, sold via the Gigantic platform with payment plans), on-site concessions (six real ale, wine, and cocktail bars plus a food village and craft fair), merchandise (via Teemill and an on-site shop), camping and glamping accommodations (through a Hotel Bell Tent partnership), and corporate sponsorship (including Turtle Doves as the main stage sponsor). Tickets are sold direct-to-consumer via the festival's own website and the Gigantic ticketing platform, with marketing driven by social media (Facebook, TikTok, YouTube, Instagram), email newsletters, wave-based artist announcements, and earned media through press partnerships.

Beyond the core festival, the organization runs a portfolio of year-round community programs: the Shropshire Youth Folk Ensemble (launched 2015 with Shropshire Music Service for musicians aged 10–18), the £150,000 'All Together Now' world music and dance outreach project (funded by Arts Council England, Shropshire Council, and Shrewsbury Town Council), and the Alan Surtees Trust (established 2017 to grant funds to young and emerging musicians). The festival has maintained a long-term charity partnership with Hope House Children's Hospice since 2008, generating more than £100,000 cumulatively through per-ticket donations and on-site fundraising. Operations are heavily dependent on an oversubscribed volunteer steward program, with the festival recognized multiple times by Songlines magazine among the UK's Top 10 summer festivals and nominated for UK Festival Awards.

Name

SHREWSBURY FOLK FESTIVAL (UK) LIMITED

Legal name

Shrewsbury Folk Festival

Website

https://shrewsburyfolkfestival.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Shrewsbury Folk Festival (UK) Limited is a privately held UK event organization that produces an annual four-day folk music festival at the West Midlands Showground in Shrewsbury, serving general folk enthusiasts, families, and dancers through ticket sales, camping, sponsorship, and year-round community programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live music festivals (folk, Americana, world music)

NAICS

Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Concerts & Music Festivals (THAJAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Cultural & Community Festivals (Ticketed) (THAJAFAI)

Keywords

• Folk music festivals
• Live event ticketing
• Festival camping
• Dance event programming
• Family festival programming

Headquarters

HQ city

Shrewsbury

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: The festival generates primary revenue through ticket sales for day passes and weekend passes with camping options, sold through the Gigantic platform. Prices start from £48.50 with payment plans available to spread costs.
2. Merchandise: Sale of festival merchandise including t-shirts, tea towels, and other commemorative items through the Teemill online store and on-site shop.
3. Food, Beverage, and Retail: Six real ale, wine, and cocktail bars along with an extensive food village and craft fair generate revenue from on-site sales. Vendors operate stall spaces at the festival.
4. Camping and Glamping: Camping ticket sales and partnership with Hotel Bell Tent for glamping accommodations provide additional revenue streams.
5. Sponsorship and Advertising: Corporate sponsors pay for naming rights, stage sponsorship (such as Turtle Doves sponsoring the main stage), and advertising at the festival.
6. Charitable Donations and Fundraising: The festival raises funds for Hope House Children's Hospice through bucket collections, stall sales, charging services, and donations per ticket sold, with the total raised exceeding £100,000 over 15 years of partnership.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shrewsbury Folk Festival (UK) Limited produces and operates an annual four-day folk music festival held over the August Bank Holiday weekend at the West Midlands Showground in Shrewsbury, featuring four music stages and a dance tent with ceilidhs, bals, contra dances and morris sides. It sells day, weekend and camping tickets to consumers via the Gigantic ticketing platform, offers on-site camping and partner-led glamping, a craft fair, food and beverage outlets, family and youth programming, workshops, and festival merchandise through Teemill. The festival also runs the Shropshire Youth Folk Ensemble in partnership with Shropshire Music Service and has a long-standing charitable partnership with Hope House Children's Hospice.

Product overview

Shrewsbury Folk Festival is an annual four-day folk music festival held at the West Midlands Showground in Shrewsbury. The core offering centers on the main festival event featuring four music stages and a dance tent with performances by folk, Americana, and world music artists. Supporting products and services include camping and glamping accommodations, family and children's activities through dedicated venues, musical workshops, and a craft fair. The festival operates special community programs including the All Together Now initiative with the Shropshire Youth Folk Ensemble and the Alan Surtees Trust for emerging musicians. Merchandise is sold through an online store, while tickets are distributed via the Gigantic platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shrewsbury Folk Festival (annual four-day event)
• Festival Tickets (day, weekend and camping)
• Glamping Accommodation (Hotel Bell Tent partnership)

Quantifiable outcome

• More than £100,000 raised for Hope House Children's Hospice over 15 years of partnership
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Turtle DovesminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Designer and manufacturer of recycled cashmere accessories, became the new sponsor of the main stage for the 2022 festival and beyond.
• Hobsons BreweryminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016Official beer sponsor for 2016. Collaborated to create a special commemorative beer for the festival - a 4.2% abv crisp pale ale brewed with Hersbrucker, Cascade and Chinook hops. Hobsons provided a VIP trip for two including lunch as a competition prize.
• Kingstone Press CiderminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2016First-year sponsor of the Folk Slam closing event. Kingstone Press Cider provided sponsorship for the popular main stage 2 closing set that features unpredictable performances and collaborations.
• John KirkpatrickminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Renowned folk musician selected tunes for the Shropshire Tune Archive project, including traditional pieces like The Shrewsbury Rakes and General Hill's Favourite.
• Shropshire Music ServicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partnership to launch the Shropshire Youth Folk Ensemble (SYFE) for young musicians aged 10-18. Joint initiative to provide year-round folk music education and performance opportunities for young people.
• British CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Partner for the Folk Nations project through the British Council's international cultural exchange program highlighting folk culture across the UK and India.
• Oakmeadow SchoolminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Venue for the launch workshop of the Shropshire Youth Folk Ensemble on May 26-27, 2015.
• Hope House Children's HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Long-term charity partner since 2008. Festival raises funds for music therapy sessions for children with life limiting illnesses. Partnership has generated more than £100,000 over 15 years. Festival makes donation for each adult weekend ticket sold and hosts various fundraising activities.
• LiftshareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Liftshare for car sharing to help reduce the festival's carbon footprint. Festival promotes car sharing as an environmental initiative to reduce car journeys and associated CO2 emissions.
• National ExpressminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational Express coaches provide transportation to Shrewsbury. Festival recommends using National Express for coach travel and provides contact information (08705 808080) for travelers.
• Shropshire TravelineminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorProvides bus route information for travel within the county. Contact: 0870 6082608 or local Tourist Information Centres.
• Hotel Bell TentminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGlamping partner providing beautiful bell tents in a central festival location. Offers flexible packages from basic to fully dressed bell tents with real beds, bedding, and furniture. Handles all booking and provisioning for glamping accommodations.
• English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner for the Cecil Sharp Project commission. EFDSS is the national folk development organization for England, working to preserve and promote folk arts.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Towersey Festival: Oxfordshire-based UK folk and roots festival with camping, family programming, and similar tier of folk music focus. Directly comparable in scale, programming mix, and audience target.
• FolkEast: Suffolk-based UK folk festival (launched 2011) with multi-stage programming, camping, and family offerings. Comparable as a more recently established UK folk event targeting similar audiences.
• Fairport's Cropredy Convention: Long-established UK folk festival (since 1979) in Oxfordshire with camping, multi-stage programming, and a comparable loyal attendee base. Directly comparable in operating model and audience overlap.
• Bromyard Folk Festival: Long-running Herefordshire folk festival with trad music, dance, and a similar community-led ethos. Comparable in core offering but typically smaller in scale, providing a useful smaller benchmark.
• Priddy Folk Festival: Somerset-based UK folk festival with traditional and contemporary folk programming. Comparable as a smaller-scale community folk event with similar volunteer-driven operating model.
• Warwick Folk Festival: Annual Midlands folk festival close to Shrewsbury's regional footprint, featuring trad music, dance, and family programming. Directly comparable as a community-led folk event of similar mid-scale size.
• Sidmouth Folk Festival: Annual UK folk festival in Devon featuring trad dance, folk music, and family programming with similar scope (multiple stages, dance tent, workshops). Directly comparable as a community-anchored UK folk event of similar size and audience mix.
• Cambridge Folk Festival: Long-running UK folk festival held annually in Cambridge (since 1965), with multi-stage programming, camping, family activities, and a comparable UK folk audience base. It is the most directly comparable UK folk festival in terms of scale, audience demographic, and operating model.
• Broadstairs Folk Week: Multi-day UK folk festival in Kent featuring dance, concerts, workshops, and family sessions with a similar community-led structure. Comparable in scale and core programming focus.

Broad incumbents

• Green Man Festival: Welsh music festival (~25,000 capacity) with strong folk/roots programming, family and dance elements, and a longer-selling attendee profile. Significantly larger and broader-genre, but relevant as a benchmark on pricing, sponsorship scale, and folk/roots audience development in the UK.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/shrewsburyfolkfest
• Facebookfacebook.com/113157478768360
• Instagraminstagram.com/shrewsburyfolkfestival
• TikToktiktok.com/@shrewsburyfolkfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shrewsbury-folk-festival-uk-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SHREWSBURY FOLK FESTIVAL (UK) LIMITED