2026 officially marks the 20th Anniversary of Birmingham’s Moseley Folk and Arts Festival.
In the run-up to the landmark event, which runs from Friday 4 to Sunday 6 September 2026 in Moseley Park, Birmingham, the popular boutique festival has delved into its archives to uncover rare photos from every previous edition, alongside posters and anecdotes – and is now appealing to previous attendees to also share their memories.
Do you remember your first ‘Mo’Folk’?
What have been your favourite appearances over the years?
Did you celebrate a life milestone at the festival?
Gerv Havill, Moseley Folk co-founder and co-director, said: “Twenty festivals is something we just never thought about when we launched the festival way back in 2006. Since then, we’ve enjoyed so many incredible performances and welcomed so many amazing acts, but also seen so many other people make memories with us too – from landmark birthdays, proposals and wedding parties, to reunions and new friendships. Children have grown up at this festival, others have had their first jobs with us, it’s quite humbling when you think about all the experiences …”
Fellow Moseley Folk co-founder/co-director Carl Phillips, added: “We hear so many great stories about the festival from people who’ve attended over the years, and what it means to them, as well as seeing loads of brilliant photos on audience social feeds after the event – and we’d love to collate some of those memories and share them with our wider Moseley Folk community.”
The very first Moseley Folk Festival (as it was known then) took place over two days at the beginning of September 2006 and featured The Incredible String Band, Hayseed Dixie, Seth Lakeman, and John Renbourn, as well as West Midlands very own Steve Gibbons, The Destroyers and Scott Matthews. The broadcaster Janice Long was an enthusiastic compere – a role she continued until her passing in 2021.
It was so successful, the festival returned the following year, and has continued ever since, going on to welcome such varied headline artists as Fairport Convention (2007), Saint Etienne (2009), Tinariwen (2011), The Monkees and Spiritualized (2015), The Waterboys (2014,2021, 2025), Belle and Sebastian (2024) and Father John Misty (2025).
There’s also been plenty of surprises too, including The Cult’s Billy Duffy guesting with Johnny Marr (2014), Billy Bragg unexpectedly joining Wilco for their encore (2023), CMAT playing Pentangle’s Will O’Winsbury for the first and only time (2024), and The Polyphonic Spree guesting with The Monkees for psych/pop classic Porpoise Song (2015).
Moseley Folk and Arts Festival’s 20th Anniversary Archive can be found online via: moseleyfolk.co.uk/20years/
If you have any memories or photos from previous editions of the festival, please email: info@moseleyfolk.co.uk – with “20 Years Of Moseley Folk” as the subject/title.
The best contributions will be shared via the festival’s channels in the run-up to 2026’s festival – which already boasts headline appearances from hot Irish act Kingfishr (Friday 4 September 2026), reunited ’90s mavericks Super Furry Animals (Saturday 5 September 2026) and Canadian bluegrass/folk quartet The Dead South (Sunday 6 September 2026).
• For more details on the 2026 line-up and how to contribute your memories of previous festivals, see: moseleyfolk.co.uk