Birmingham music festival celebrates 20 years

The Moseley Folk festival takes place this weekend with headliners Kingfishr, Super Furry Animals, and The Dead South all set to wow the crowds.

The event, which has become a staple in the Midlands music diary, first appeared in 2006.

It takes place in the secluded Moseley Park in Birmingham, and has seen headliners ranging from Donovan to Don Mclean, from Steeleye Span to Echo and the Bunnymen.

"It feels like your classic British festival in the countryside, but yet here it is right in the heart of the city, in this lush park, with a really cosy vibe", said Max Gittings, from folk group, The Destroyers.

He added: "We were just delighted to be invited."

Gittings' band, who hail from Birmingham, were well-received at the inaugural festival previously, due to their 'megafolk' style.

"We played this lovely chilled out afternoon set and it was among the first proper festivals we'd started to play at, the year before we did our first Glastonbury", he said.

The band have played at the festival many times since, and will be on stage again this year for the twentieth anniversary.

"It holds special memories, it was part of our beginnings.

"Just gathering at the lake backstage beforehand and then coming out to play for a really nice audience is great."

The Moseley Folk audience has grown from around 1,000 people two decades ago, to the 4,000 expected for 2026.

Festival organiser, John Fell, says that while the music is the key attraction, incorporating more food and drink has been an important step.

"Over the years we've changed by adding a few more stages, bringing in workshops, family areas...but the food scene in Birmingham has grown incredibly, so we've enveloped that as well and the crowds have got bigger and stronger every year."

Smaller boutique-style festivals have exploded across the UK in the last decade but they're not always easy to sustain.

Costs have inevitably risen, and with weekend tickets at £182 and day tickets £69 there are also some who could find it difficult to afford.

But Fell maintains it's very good value for what is being provided.

He says that the festival is passionate about supporting local artists and businesses.

"It's Brummies that run it. Everyone involved is local.

"That's a really proud thing for us to do because we have a national audience coming in seeing the best of Birmingham."

The twentieth edition of the Moseley Folk and Arts Festival incorporates aspects of comedy, poetry and wellness.

But the music is the main draw.

Twenty-nine acts played the first two-day festival in 2006, this year will see between 60 and 70 acts perform.

Fell thinks the event's legacy is secure.

He said: "There's so much going on in the world that live music is always going to be at the forefront of people wanting to get out there, experience [it] and have a good time.

"So thankfully we're involved in that process and I think we've got a good future to come."