Folk Arts Oxford aims to promote folk and traditional dance, music and song in the Oxfordshire region. In particular we are interested in improving access for those who might face barriers to participation in the arts.

Through our funded project work: children in Headington have learned about local lad William Kimber, and the musical legacy he has left; a new band called Iris has been formed, who accompany all their songs with Makaton signing; children from mainstream and special schools in Oxfordshire have the chance to create music together, and perform on the main stage at Folk Weekend: Oxford.

Alongside our own projects and events, FAO works collaboratively with other local organisations, forging links and creating opportunities for folk artists to work in education and community projects, as well as showcase their talent in local events. 

About us

The work we do at Folk Arts Oxford can be broadly categorised in to three main strands: development work, community building, and events.

Development

We have undertaken a number of funded projects, providing access to the folk arts for many people in Oxfordshire as well as work for local folk artists. We have a number of Associate Artists who work with us on a regular basis to carry out these projects.

We are committed to promoting accessibility in the folk arts, and are actively working to improve access for those who face barriers to participating in what we do. You can read about this on our Inclusive Folk blog page.

Community

We run a website called FolkinOxford.co.uk; this is a folk-specific listings site, and portal for folk activity in Oxfordshire. This site is expanding rapidly and fast becoming a first port of call to find out what's going on in the county. There's also a wealth of information on there about the different activities, aiming to make it easy for someone who is new to folk to see what sort of activity they might enjoy.

Events

We run an annual folk festival in Oxford city centre called Folk Weekend: Oxford, which showcases and celebrates the local folk scene, and offers local artists and the opportunity to perform alongside nationally renowned folk artists.

We also promote smaller events throughout the year.

IMG_3881_use.jpeg