2023

to a weekend shaped by music, creativity and togetherness.

Over three days of late-summer sunshine, we welcomed artists, audiences and old friends back to the park to share in everything that makes Moseley Folk special.

We began on Friday with songwriting royalty Graham Nash, whose timeless catalogue set the tone for the weekend, followed by the pop brilliance of Squeeze and the spellbinding sounds of Gwenno. Across the site, the park came alive with woodland performances, comedy, craft, food and family-friendly moments that invited everyone to slow down and explore.

Saturday brought huge energy as The Saw Doctors filled the field with joy and sing-alongs, supported by the unstoppable The Mary Wallopers, alongside standout sets from Rozi Plain and Nogood Boyo. It was a day full of warmth and connection, topped by a surprise proposal on the lake that reminded us how personal this festival can be.

On Sunday, we reflected and celebrated in equal measure. Stornoway returned to our stage for the first time since 2011, joined by Angeline Morrison, Old Time Sailors, Josh Pugh and Millicent Chapanda. We closed the weekend with a moment we’ll never forget, as Billy Bragg reunited with Wilco on stage for a surprise performance of California Stars, 25 years on from Mermaid Avenue.

2023 saw a new area born – The Woods. Complete with a market area and a small covered stage for acoustic acts, talks and much more. It hosted Stone Club, curated and named after The Stone Club https://stoneclub.rocks, featuring talks and film from Justin Robertson and Jeremy Deller.

Boss Morris travelled up from Stroud to dance at Moseley and to head up our very first Procession. There’s not enough space here to properly describe or explain what goes on at the Procession, but in short….

….the Corn Dolly is awoken from its year of slumber in the Ice House and leads the procession in its task of encouraging our Wriggly Worm friends to aerate and enrich the soil ready for the year ahead. On route, the Procession encounters the Snowman (representing Winter), but of course, no one wants to see him so early in the year, so the children of the festival tell him exactly where to go! Meanwhile, the Corn Dolly arrives in front of the stage, and the Hay Down commences.

Credit is due to multi-talented Ildi for conceiving the Corn Dolly, the Wriggly Worm and not to mention the Wicker Bunny and Giant Mushrooms, and to Shelley for producing and directing all the musicians, mask wearers and hay bearers and for helping us bring joy and bemusement to the Park every year.

Moseley Folk & Arts Festival 2023 reminded us why we do this — creating space for collaboration, community and magical moments that stay with us long after the park fell quiet again.