The Orwell Bluegrass festival opens on the 11th May 2012

***Latest News 27th April 2012*** Festival programmes now available to view!! Just click the links on the right hand side of this page.

A scoop for us at this year's festival!! A well known duet from the USA - see the Old Time section for more information.

The festival will run from Friday 11th May 2012 until Sunday 13th May 2012 and the site will be open from Thursday 10th May 2012 until Monday 14th May 2012.

The 6th Orwell Bluegrass Festival, early in the Season, is a must. For those of you who have not enjoyed the delights of this Suffolk festival in the past, you can be sure of an experience not to be missed.

Planning is going well and there are a large selection of bands booked, lots of them old friends and many new names as well. [see separate listing.]

‘Hallowtree’ is a large brick built venue, just off the A14 at Nacton on the southeast side of Ipswich. It’s a permanent Scout campsite within 40 acres of picturesque land near to the Orwell estuary. It has plenty of space for parking, picking, camping, caravanning and concerts! There will be 3 designated camping and caravan areas, one of which will be a ‘quiet’ area for those wishing for a more peaceful weekend. There are toilets and heated shower facilities in the building; water points are available but there are no electric hookups. The main hall /bar area [serving real ale] will be used for ‘open mic.’and picking sessions and there are smaller rooms available for rehearsal, workshops and jamming. There will be two marquees as last year the larger for the concerts and the smaller for the Appalachian dancers and old time performers. Outside caterers will serve hot food in the dining area at certain times during the day. For those of you who would prefer not to camp, there is a ‘Premier Inn’ and ‘Holiday Inn’ within about 5 minutes drive from the festival site, near J57 of the A14.

The festival will formally open on the Friday evening at 7.30 with a concert. It is intended to have a full weekend of activities, with concerts on Saturday afternoon and evening, a Gospel session on Sunday morning and it will close after the Sunday afternoon concert. During the course of the weekend there will be instrument and singing workshops, a slow jam plus an ‘open mic.’ spot, and of course, plenty of picking. For those who wish to extend their weekend, access to the site will be available from mid-day on the Thursday until Monday morning. There will be informal picking sessions on the Thursday and Sunday evenings.

Admission is by ticket, purchased on the door, or beforehand using the downloadable form from the main menu. There is a restriction on numbers and pre-purchase may be sensible, especially if you will be travelling from afar! A weekend ticket will cost you £43 per person, [the same price as last year!] to include camping/caravanning. For part weekend ticket details [and of a small charge for donation to the Scout Movement for Thursday arrival], click on ‘ Ticket Information’. Accompanying children under 15 are free.

See the main menu to access directions and map. The postcode is IP10 0JP

We cannot guarantee the weather, but we will do our best to ensure that you have a most enjoyable time. Everyone is very friendly and welcoming and we look forward to meeting you.

Chris & Ralph