SIDMOUTH FOLK WEEK LIMITED

What SIDMOUTH FOLK WEEK LIMITED does

Sidmouth Folk Week Limited (trading as Sidmouth Folk Festival) is a non-profit Community Interest Company that organizes an annual week-long folk music, dance, and song festival in the seaside town of Sidmouth, East Devon, running each August since 1955. The festival programme comprises over 800 events across 33 venues — including a large seaside concert marquee (The Ham), a standing big-top venue (The Bulverton), the Manor Pavilion Theatre, and numerous indoor venues such as churches, pubs, and community halls — supplemented by a dedicated festival campsite, shuttle bus service, and craft village. Attendees include general festival-goers, families, children and young people, folk artists and performers, and the local Sidmouth hospitality sector, with tens of thousands of visitors attending each year.

The festival's product is delivered through a tiered ticketing model (All-in-One Week/Weekend, Week/Weekend/Day Season, Bulverton-in-One, and individual event tickets) plus add-on services. Approximately 70% of festival income comes from ticket sales; the remainder is generated through on-site catering concessions, bars, merchandise, craft fair, corporate sponsorship, Arts Council England grassroots grants, local authority support (EDDC), the Friends of Sidmouth Folk Festival scheme, and legacy donations. The technology stack is intentionally light: ticketing runs on the Ticket Tailor platform, a mobile app (iOS/Android) handles programme browsing and event favouriting, and the festival has deployed Auracast broadcast audio accessibility technology across its main venues. Distribution is direct-to-consumer via an online box office, the Sidmouth Tourist Information Centre, and on-site box offices, with no third-party resellers.

The business is organized as a Community Interest Company (Sidmouth Folk Festival CIC), with a separate charity (Sidmouth FolkWeek Ltd) supporting fundraising activities. Operations are powered by approximately 500 volunteers and a small contracted team, with no public listing, no disclosed funding rounds, and no external parent company. The festival's competitive position rests on its 70+ year heritage, multi-generational community base, whole-town venue footprint, and national brand recognition established through press coverage and headline artist bookings.

Name

SIDMOUTH FOLK WEEK LIMITED

Legal name

Sidmouth FolkWeek Productions Ltd

Website

https://sidmouthfolkweek.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Sidmouth Folk Week Limited operates the annual week-long Sidmouth Folk Festival in East Devon, running 800+ folk music, dance, and song events across 33 venues since 1955, serving tens of thousands of visitors through tiered ticketing, a festival campsite, and community programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Music & Cultural Festivals

NAICS

Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (711310), Performing Arts, Spectator Sports, and Related Industries (711)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Music Festival Organizers & Promoters (MPAGAAAB)

Keywords

• Live music festivals
• Folk music events
• Cultural festivals
• Concert ticketing
• Festival organization

Headquarters

HQ city

Sidmouth

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Approximately 70% of the festival's income comes from ticket income. Ticket types include All-in-One Week/Weekend Season tickets, Week/Weekend/Day Season tickets, Bulverton-in-One tickets, individual event tickets (Ham, Bulverton, Manor Pavilion), camping and live-in vehicle tickets, bus passes, and workshop books. Personal Assistant tickets are provided free for qualifying attendees.
2. Trading, Catering & Merchandise: Revenue from on-site catering concessions, bars (run by volunteers and local breweries including Branscombe, Exeter, Hanlons, Powerkeg), craft and music fair at Blackmore Gardens, official festival merchandise (T-shirts, hoodies) sold via Ticket Tailor store, and food stall operations.
3. Sponsorship, Grants & Donations: Income from corporate sponsorship (e.g., The Bedford Hotel, Oakdown Holiday Park as festival supporters), Arts Council England (ACE) grassroots grant, South Somerset District Council/EDDC support, programme advertising, street collections, the Friends of Sidmouth Folk Festival scheme, and legacy donations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Sidmouth Folk Week Limited organizes and produces the annual Sidmouth Folk Festival, a week-long immersion in folk music, dance, and song held each August in Sidmouth, East Devon. The festival delivers 800+ events across 33 venues, ranging from large concert marquees and standing big-top shows to intimate pub sessions, workshops, dance displays, storytelling, and family activities, and monetizes the experience through tiered ticket sales, festival camping, a shuttle bus service, catering concessions, and official merchandise.

Product overview

Sidmouth Folk Festival is a week-long annual folk music and dance festival offering a diverse programme of concerts, ceilidhs, workshops, dance displays, storytelling, and family activities across multiple venues in Sidmouth, Devon. The festival operates as a unified event with tiered ticketing options (All-in-One, Week Season, Weekend Season, Day Season, and Bulverton-in-One), supplemented by add-on services including festival campsite accommodation, a dedicated bus service, an official mobile app for programme browsing, and merchandise. The festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors annually and has been running since 1955.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sidmouth Folk Festival Annual week-long festival of folk music, dance, and song held in Sidmouth, Devon, delivering 800+ events across 33 venues for tens of thousands of visitors every August. The programme spans concerts, ceilidhs, workshops, dance displays, storytelling, family activities, and youth programming, anchored by headliners such as Lindisfarne, Capercaillie, Kate Rusby and Talisk.
• Festival Tickets Tiered ticket products granting access to the festival, including All-in-One (full festival access including evening concerts), Week Season, Weekend Season, Day Season, Bulverton-in-One, and individual event tickets for Ham Marquee, Bulverton and Manor Pavilion venues. Children aged 0-11 go free on many events; youth (12-25) and EX10 resident discounts apply; Pay-in-3 instalments available.
• Festival Campsite Official festival campsite located near the Bulverton venue offering tent and live-in vehicle pitches, an accessibility area, electric hook-ups, and 24-hour staffing, available as a separately purchased add-on to festival tickets.
• Festival Bus Service Shuttle bus service connecting the festival campsite and Bulverton venue to Sidmouth town centre during the festival, running from early morning until after late-night events with wheelchair accessibility. Day, week, and single-trip passes are sold in advance or on the bus, with youth discounts.
• Festival Merchandise Official Sidmouth Folk Festival merchandise including T-shirts, hoodies and vintage items, sold via the Ticket Tailor online store for advance purchase and collection on-site, with additional merchandise stalls at Blackmore Gardens and The Ham during the festival.

Quantifiable outcome

• £7.3 million estimated economic impact for the local area (2025 festival)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Showcase Scotland ExpocoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026Sidmouth Folk Festival partners with Showcase Scotland Expo to present Scotland Introducing — a celebration of Scotland's contemporary traditional music at the festival. The programme showcases emerging Scottish artists selected through an open call, alongside established Scottish headliners. The partnership supports Sounds of Modern Scotland strand and creates opportunities for artists to connect with audiences and industry professionals.
• Wicked EventscoreOthersWicked Events manages volunteer recruitment and applications for the Sidmouth Folk Festival. The partnership supports the approximately 500 volunteers who are essential to festival operations, covering roles in venues, processions, campsite, box offices, artist liaison, and administration. Applications are processed through the Wicked Events website.
• A Greener FutureminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerA Greener Future is a sustainability organization that the Sidmouth Folk Festival has signed up to in order to support its journey toward reducing environmental impact and measuring its carbon footprint across festival operations.
• Stuart Line CruisesminorGTM or Marketing PartnerStuart Line Cruises offers boat transport from Exmouth to Sidmouth beach during the festival, providing a unique and environmentally conscious travel option for festival-goers. The service runs on select dates, with passengers able to spend 3 hours ashore or request one-way tickets for longer stays. The route passes the Jurassic Coast UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• LiftshareminorGTM or Marketing PartnerThe festival encourages car sharing through Liftshare to reduce carbon footprint and travel costs. Festival-goers are directed to the Liftshare platform to share journeys to the festival.
• Arts Council England (ACE)coreOthersArts Council England provides grassroots funding support to the Sidmouth Folk Festival, as evidenced by the ACE Grassroots Logo displayed on the festival website alongside other supporter logos.
• East Devon District Council (EDDC)minorOthersEast Devon District Council is listed as a festival supporter alongside the ACE logo, indicating support through local authority channels including parking management and town facilities.
• National Youth Folk Ensemble / English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe National Youth Folk Ensemble (run by EFDSS) regularly performs at Sidmouth Folk Festival. Open Days for the Ensemble are held at Exeter Phoenix, and the partnership supports youth folk music development. The EFDSS originally founded the festival in 1955.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Shrewsbury Folk Festival: Multi-day folk festival in the West Midlands featuring concerts, workshops, dance displays, and Morris teams. Overlaps Sidmouth strongly on format (concerts + participation dance) and on regional English folk positioning.
• Whitby Folk Week: Annual seaside folk week in North Yorkshire with concerts, workshops, dance, and pub sessions. Nearest structural match to Sidmouth as a coastal town-based folk week.
• Bromyard Folk Festival: Long-running English folk festival in Herefordshire offering concerts, dance displays, and sessions in a small-town setting. Comparable community-led, participatory format.
• Cambridge Folk Festival: Long-running UK summer folk festival (since 1965) held in Cambridge with a comparable mix of headline concerts, ceilidhs, workshops, and dance programming. Closest direct analogue to Sidmouth's mix of concerts + participation-led folk sessions.
• Fairport's Cropredy Convention: Established English folk-rock / roots festival in Oxfordshire with a heritage-driven programme and broad audience. Comparable scale, format, and ticket mix to Sidmouth.
• Celtic Connections: Glasgow-based winter folk and roots festival, comparable in scale and genre mix (folk, world, traditional) with a multi-venue city footprint similar to Sidmouth's town-wide distribution.
• Towersey Village Festival: Annual English folk and roots festival in Oxfordshire with concerts, ceilidhs, and family programming. Closely comparable multi-day folk festival proposition targeting a similar UK audience.

Broad incumbents

• Green Man Festival: Independent Welsh multi-genre festival with folk/roots programming and a comparable focus on community and locality. Useful benchmark for an independent festival operator at a larger scale.
• Glastonbury Festival: UK's largest multi-genre music festival with folk/roots stages; not a direct competitor on programming specialism but provides a benchmark for UK festival scale, sponsorship economics, and operational complexity.

Others

• English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS): National folk charity that founded the Sidmouth Folk Festival in 1955 and runs the National Youth Folk Ensemble, which performs regularly at Sidmouth. Closely entwined ecosystem participant rather than a competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCwECzrD-bfaydp5fnsn3QoQ
• Instagraminstagram.com/sidmouthfolkfestival
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sidmouth-folk-week-limited

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 SIDMOUTH FOLK WEEK LIMITED