This year’s Foolhardy Folk Festival is just days away with a stacked line-up of song writing talent coming to the Nottingham Arboretum for the Bank Holiday weekend (Sunday 24 August).
With the beautiful parkland setting nestled amongst trees centred around the historic bandstand, this little gem of a folk festival has masses of appeal for all ages, with kids under 11 getting in free!
It’s a family friendly celebration of music, trees and revelry in the beautiful Arboretum Bandstand and Park kicking off from midday.
The line up of the finest local independent breweries and familiar favourites is now here. There will be craft beers from Beavertown, Black Iris, Castle Rock, Guinness, Round Corner and Shipstones and a cider selection from Thatchers and Westons. As well as the beer festival, there will be a choice of spirits and soft drinks.
There will be delicious food on offer from a hand-picked selection of street food vendors – Bubble Waffle, Dirty Chicken, Feast of the East, Ginger & Blue, Kebab Cartel, Kool Kata and New Yorkshire Pizza.
Beans on Toast said: “Can’t wait to spend the day with you all amongst the trees. I’m proper chuffed with this year’s line-up, some of my favourite songwriters and performers will be joining us.
“If you’ve not secured your ticket yet, now is the time. We’ve kept the ticket price as low as possible. Please don’t forget that 11s go free, and you’re welcome to bring a picnic.”
More than a decade after first emerging, protest singer, LGBTQ+ activist, comic performer and folk star Grace Petrie stands out as one the most important songwriters working in the UK today.
Exploding onto the folk scene in 2010 , Petrie quickly attracted attention with her polemical folk anthems, acerbic lyricism and open-hearted performance style with The Guardian declaring her “a powerful new songwriting voice.”
A decade after being hailed as “a millennial’s Billy Bragg” (Huffington Post), the protest anthems pour out of her as fierce as ever and production from folk-punk legend Frank Turner on her latest album sees them elevated to the crowd barrier hollering anthems he is known for. ‘Build Something Better’ smashed the UK top 30 and topped both the UK folk and UK download charts, cementing her status as one of Britain’s most beloved songwriters. One not to miss!
The Young’uns, Funke and the Two Tone Baby, Ruth Lyon, Nick Parker, Ben Brown, Ann Liu Cannon, Leo Baby and Emily Alice are also on the line up curated by the singer, songwriter and storyteller Beans on Toast himself.
The Young’uns have won the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards three times with their heart-on-the-sleeve storytelling while Funke and the Two Tone Baby is a one man army bringing 90s dance, electro-rock and alt-blues.
Ruth Lyon weaves deeply evocative narratives with an artistry that balances delicacy and strength while Nick Parker’s songs are often tongue in-cheek with the audience encouraged to be a part of the show.
Social musician and composer Ben Brown believes anyone can make music and is passionate about making that happen. An independent artist on the rise, Ann Liu Cannon debut EP, ‘CHALK’, marries 70s folk revival with digital synthesis and she featured on Beans on Toast’s Foolhardy Folk stage at Bearded Theory.
Genre-spanning multi-instrumentalist Leo Baby brings his fusion of alt-folk and indie-soul while upcoming Notts singer-songwriter Emily Alice will perform some of her gorgeous acoustic-pop music.
Beans on Toast will also be taking to the bandstand to sing his simple songs that tackle big issues. Political protest songs for the modern-day and ‘songs that will make you laugh, but also make you think with no holds barred honesty and quick wit.’
Tickets are available at £46 per adult inclusive of booking fees. Under 16s should be accompanied by a paying guest aged 16+. Under 11s are free (with a ticket).
https://www.alttickets.com/the-foolhardy-folk-festival-tickets/nottingham
Posted on 18 August 2025
