Cumbria’s brightest and best music and arts festival, Solfest is back after a year’s sabbatical in 2014 with a new more compact and bijou approach. It’s the same old Solfest experience refreshed and revitalised. Some of the biggest names in folk and traditional music will take to the stage at the new, revamped Solfest this summer.

The Unthanks, Kathryn Tickell & The Side, The Sam Kelly Trio and Peatbog Faeries  and The Lancashire Hotpots are just a tiny sample of the dazzling array of artists appearing at Solfest 2015.

They will be joined by cult electronica ambient dance band Banco De Gaia. Also lined up are festival favourites and Solfest old hands including some of the best of the UK ‘s punk, roots, ska and singer-songwriter scenes including The Baghdaddies,  Pikey Beatz, The Skints, Bombskare, Young Rebel Set, Holy Moly And The Crackers, Emma And The Professor, Stark, The Talks, Bridie Jackson And The Arbour and of course many many more.

Also Solfest’s famed Love Shack and Electric Village will host the very best in dance, dub-step, trance, reggae, electronic and a whole range of experimental sounds with 8:58, DJ Templehead, RoomFull Of Mirrors, Radioactive Man (live), The Hobo (aka DJ TurtleWax), Age Of Glass, Werkha, Shocon, Silverclub, Gella, Projekt Dataline, Gemma Furbank and many many more.

As ever Solfest offers a dazzling array of entertainment across practically every musical genre. If you don’t hear something that you like move along to another venue and try another taste of the Solfest experience.

Multi-award-winning and Mercury Music Prize nominees The Unthanks are among the most highly-regarded of all traditional acts. Their reputation reaches far beyond the folk genre. Kathryn Tickell is the foremost exponent of the Northumbrian pipes, a composer, performer and successful recording artist whose work is deeply rooted in the landscape and people of Northumbria. Singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Sam Kelly was runner up in Britain’s Got Talent in 2012 but has gone on to make a name for himself in folk and roots music. He forged his links with the music through the Gaelic songs that his Irish grandfather taught him. Peatbog Fearies have built a reputation over two decades with their dazzling and hugely infectious fusion of Celtic traditional music and dance music bringing elements of jazz, hip hop and reggae to their musical table. The Lancashire Hotpots return to Solfest by popular demand with their wonderfully self-deprecating blend of folk rock comedy that lovingly pokes run at their own culture and the modern world.

The festival bounces back on a smaller scale and with a new, fresher attitude after taking last year off. Organisers wanted to “return to our roots” with a more intimate event, but retaining the key features that has made it so popular over the past eleven years.

Solfest marketing officer Tom Kay explains: “We  made a conscious decision to distance our festival from more commercial events, moving away from big headline names in order to put our resources into giving people the best festival experience over a full weekend rather than just a couple of hours each evening. As always we aim to keep prices down, avoiding hidden extras like over the top booking fees, extra charges for vehicles and camping.  We’ll still allow you to bring your own booze and still charge sensible prices at our bars, which means that you get a fantastic weekend without breaking the bank. This year’s Solfest will look and feel different, we’ve made some big decisions like, losing what was the main stage in favour of more venues offering an even wider range of music to tantalise your ears.  One big dance tent will become the all new Electric Village with a wider range of sounds to suit all tastes. We are looking forward to showcasing some exiting and interactive artworks around the site which has been redesigned for a totally new feel. Even Solfest regulars can have fun getting lost again.”

“Solfest is a festival run by festival goers, between us, we’ve seen it all, from huge events with hundreds of thousands of people to tiny first time parties with just a few hundred revellers. We like to think this gives us a unique insight into what makes a great festival tick.”

Solfest takes place at Tarns, near Aspatria, over the bank holiday weekend August 28-30.

Ticket prices range from £10 for children’s tickets to £110 for a full adult weekend.  For full details see our website

Tickets will be available to purchase right on our very own website www.solfest.org.uk 

For more information, go to the Solfest Facebook page www.facebook.com/Solfest or www.solfest.org.uk