Alongside our listing this week, we’ve got the unfortunate news that the Sarasota Blues Festival in Florida will need to take a hiatus for this year. More info here. Sing Out! provides an international listing of folk music festivals and camps, which can be found at https://www.singout.org/fests.html. 

A truncated list this week but our friends in the UK will be pleased to know that this weekend kicks off the Newbury Spring Festival, which will be running from this Friday (the 11th) to May 25th. The international program has a Russian emphasis this year, and will also be celebrating the bi-centenaries of Wagner and Verdi and the centenary of Britten, arguable the greatest opera composers of the 19th and 20th centuries respectively. Artists present include the Black Dyke Band, the Carducci String Quartet, Master Drummers of Ghana and various other orchestral and traditional artists. The festival will also feature various educational seminars, including introduction to African Drumming, and a children’s introduction to classical music.

If you’re in the San Diego area this weekend, you might want to stop by the Zydeco, Blues and Crawfish Festival. Over 25 local bands on five stages and a food court serving up crawfish jambalaya, gumbo, hot links and pralines. This one’s located at Spanish Landing Park in San Diego.

Here are some photos from last weekend’s events:

Some delish looking seafood dishes at last weekend’s Crawfish Festival in New Orleans (from Instagram user @theblackwolverine)

Highland games at the Texas Scottish Festival (from Instagram user @foolonthehill04)

Bagpipes at the Texas Scottish Festival (from Instagram user @m_seanalexander)