Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival has been shortlisted in three categories in the Irish Festival Awards – Best Small Festival, Best Lineup and the Family Festival Award.
Uri Kohen, Chairperson of the group of volunteers that organises the festival, said: “After being listed by The Irish Times as one of the Top 20 Festivals in Ireland, we’re delighted to have the festival recognised by an independent panel of experts. We’ve worked hard for eight years to make Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival the premier event of its kind in the country. The 2014 festival was definitely the best yet, and we’ve got big plans for the ninth festival in June 2015.”
He continued saying that, “being nominated for any award is great, but being shortlisted in three categories is really fantastic. We hope that fans of the festival take two minutes to vote for us online. Fingers crossed!”.
In their eighth year, the awards are open to a public vote, and see the Westport festival pitted against events like Electric Picnic, Knockanstockan and Kilkenny Rhythm and Roots Festival. To vote for Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival visit http://www.irishfestivalawards.ie/votenow.html
Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival is a not-for-profit event run entirely by a voluntary committee. The ninth Festival will, as before, be a high-quality, multiple-venue, open and inclusive event in Westport. The three-day festival attracts local, national and international artists and audiences.
The organisers foster an accessible, warm, open atmosphere where everyone – all generations, cultures and walks of life, locals and visitors – feel included and have fun. The audience profile is comprised of everyone from seasoned folk and bluegrass ‘buffs’ to casual music fans.
For the 2014 Festival they brought a total of 46 artists across 13 groups to perform at 17 events in three days. They were from Ireland, Northern Ireland, England, Wales, the Netherlands, Germany, the USA and Australia. A large number of other musicians played with them at sessions and jams and at a Masterclass.
