WORKSHOPS
This year you are treated to a fantastic array of workshops (some free some ticketed), so take a look and see which ones take your fancy and get them in your diary and, where applicable, get them booked and paid for via the folk festival website !! Don’t forget to look at the Family Friendly event listings too, for further family friendly workshop options.

 Sea Shanty workshop 11am Saturday 9th May Cooper’s Yard  (Free)

Come and sing with Ship to shore, Holmfirth’s very own shanty band. All welcome to spend an hour learning a few shanties and then be part of a short lunchtime concert.

 Café Orchestra Workshop 11am Sunday 10th May The Tech (Free)    

Want to play something different on your folk instrument? Come along and try with the Café Orchestra. Spaces are limited so it’s first come firs served. If you’d like to hear the orchestra before committing, drop by and have a listen on Saturday 11am at the Tech 

Bodhran Workshop 1:00 pm Saturday afternoon above O’Briens  £5

Do you have a bodhran in your cupboard and want to learn to play it ? Ciaran Boyle is your man. Aimed at beginner / intermediate level. After the workshop, join any of the sessions in Perfect Hive, or the slow tunes session on Sunday morning upstairs in Perfect Hive.

Samba Workshop with Doug Scard from Huddersfield Samba 11am Sunday 10th May Cooper’s Yard (Free)

This is your chance of a taster session. Numbers limited so it’s first come first served.Huddersfield Samba practise on Wednesday evenings at Holmfirth Civic Hall so if you enjoy the workshop - come and join !

 Guitar Workshop 2pm Sunday 10th May above O’Brien’s  £5

Neil Diffley (Mustard County, Kitchen Blues Club, Dirty Martinis to name but 3) will be running a  workshop on arranging folk tunes for fingerstyle guitar, specifically using drop d tuning, aimed at players who generally strum or fingerpick etc but want to explore that style of playing. Neil will be using traditional tunes such as “Amazing grace” and “Will the circle be unbroken” , and there would be scope for a range of abilities to benefit.

Ukulele Fingerpicking Basics with Chris McShane  12 – 1pm Sunday 10 th May Methodist Church £5
A familiar face on the Folk, Ceilidh and Ukulele scene all over the UK, Chris is a performer, dance caller and workshop leader. His Ukulele Fingerpicking Basics workshop will cover finger picking techniques for song and tune accompaniment. Attendees will need their own instrument and will need to be able to play basic chords such as C, F, G7 and Am. Some worksheets for follow up playing and study will be provided .