The highly anticipated Coleford Music Festival is set to make a triumphant return for its 2023 edition, promising an unforgettable weekend of music, culture, and entertainment. Taking place from 8th to 9th July at Coleford Town Centre, the festival is expected to attract music lovers from near and far.

Started in 2000, the Coleford Music Festival has established itself as a premier event on the musical calendar, showcasing an eclectic mix of genres and talented artists. With its backdrop of Coleford Town Centre, the festival promises to deliver an immersive experience that will leave attendees with lasting memories.

This year’s lineup features an impressive array of both renowned and emerging artists, ensuring there will be something for everyone’s musical taste. Festival-goers can look forward to captivating performances from both local talents and internationally acclaimed acts, creating an atmosphere of pure musical bliss.Headlining on Saturday will be  RSVP Bhangra,  presenting a high-energy, interactive and fun Bhangra music experience that will really rock the crowd and keep them dancing all night.  From legendary UK festivals such as Glastonbury, WOMAD and The Secret Garden Party (to name but a few) to Feest in ‘t Park over in Belgium, Pennabilli down in Italy and Kulturekosmos in Germany, RSVP has rocked them all, leaving delighted audiences everywhere screaming for more. 

On Sunday The UK’s PREMIER MADNESS tribute band One Step Behind will be performing.

Each member of the band grew up as a Madness fan and for each perfecting his portrayal of his original Madness counterpart has been a labour of love. They strive to match every detail of the original both musically and in appearance. Like Madness One Step Behind are well known for their on-stage antics with which they build up an authentic ‘Nutty’ atmosphere.They feel that by replicating one of the nation’s best-loved institutions they are keeping alive the spirit that inspired a whole generation and still enjoys enormous popularity today. One Step Behind see themselves as perpetuating the popularity of Madness who now rarely appear in public.

Other great artists appearing include Massai, The Miff Identity, Kings Alias, The Forfeits, Damaged Goods, Cable Street Collective  The Barefoot Bandits Razorblade Jake plus many more.  

In addition to the stellar music lineup, the Coleford Music Festival will also offer a variety of other engaging activities and attractions. Attendees can explore the vibrant vendor village, offering a wide range of food, beverages, and unique merchandise. The festival will also feature interactive art installations, workshops, and family-friendly activities, making it an inclusive event for all ages.

“We’re thrilled to bring back the Coleford Music Festival for another year,” said Amanda Smith, one of the festival’s organisers. “Our team has worked tirelessly to curate a lineup that reflects the diverse musical tastes of our audience. We can’t wait to provide an unforgettable experience filled with great music, community spirit, and shared moments of joy.”

With its commitment to sustainability, the festival will implement eco-friendly practices throughout the event, including waste reduction initiatives. By doing so, the Coleford Music Festival aims to minimise its environmental impact and promote a greener future for the local community.

For further information, including the full lineup, ticket details, and updates on the festival, please visit www.colefordmusicfestival.co.uk. Stay connected with the Coleford Music Festival on social media to receive the latest news and announcements.

In the current economic climate it has been increasingly difficult to raise enough funds to bring this event to Coleford, to make sure that it continues please support local businesses, on-site traders and above all, give generously to the bucket collections or donate online here https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-coleford-music-festival thank you.
We would also like to thank our supporters, Coleford Town Council, Suntory, Forest of Dean Rotary Club, The White Hart Inn, Puzzlewood & Steve Gooch Estate Agents, plus others listed on our website.
Festival programmes will be available from the Tourist Information Centre from Monday 3rd July  

About Coleford Music Festival:

The Coleford Music Festival is an annual celebration of music, culture, and community. Held in the picturesque setting of Coleford Town Centre, the festival features a diverse lineup of artists, along with various activities and attractions for all ages. With a focus on sustainability, the festival aims to provide a memorable experience while minimizing its environmental impact.

Press Contact: Amanda Smith Chair Coleford Music Festival 07980 357 747 colefordmusicfestival@hotmail.com

Your chance to win a VIP Package to see Years & Years on the NIGHT CALL tour.

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Coleford Music Festival is running an online auction giving you the chance to win an exclusive VIP experience at the Years & Years Night Call UK Tour!

One auction winner for each show on the tour will win access to a private soundcheck at the arena and then will be able to attend the full show afterwards!

Each winner can bring 1 guest with them to the soundcheck and the show.

The VIP Packages are donated to Coleford Music Festival by Olly Alexander from Years & Years who has always been a big supporter of the community event. 

A spokesperson for the festival said “Coleford Music Festival began in 2000 & Olly performed on numerous occasions during the early years, in fact we believe the festival would have provided his first public performance opportunities all those years ago.!  

As a free community music festival funding has always been a challenge & we are so delighted that Olly has donated these VIP packages to help support our community festival. Thank you Olly xx “

Coleford Music Festival will be staged on the 9-10th July 2022.

Happy Bidding!

Festival organisers and volunteers have been working in partnership with Coleford Town Council to bring this fabulous community festival back to the streets of Coleford. 

The event  will take place on Saturday 13th & Sunday 14th July  in the town centre and It promises to be as spectacular as ever with something to please all musical tastes and ages!  

Both days will kick off at 1pm and live music coming from four stages around the town centre throughtout each day and  featuring an eclectic mix of jazz, reggae, rockabilly, blues, folk and more with performances from musicians and artists from the local area as well as a few from a little further afield.

Saturday kicks off at the Clock Tower with the VB Samba band folowed by Five Acres High School Choir lead by Mr Yardley, Head of Music. The Film Orchestra will be performing, it is the Uk’s first amateur orchestra to play original music from films, TV & video games. Found in the Forest Youth Theatre return to the festival with their unique style of performance. This year’s outing is a piece entitled ‘The Price of Fame’ and will be their penultimate show before finishing after more than 10 years in the Forest of Dean.  

Joey The Crow, Viva La Bear & Jonah’s Lift will all be whipping audiences up to a dancing frenzy whilst Red Hot Riot will be taking the stage fresh from their first appearance at Glastonbury Festival. Pure Evil will be bringing their unique style to the main stage just before headliners Welsh indie-roots band Rusty Shackle, who have been tearing up stages around the world since 2010. Brandishing their distinct folk-roots sound and armed with an electrifying mix of rampant fiddle, scorching electric guitars, pounding drums, searing trumpet and banjo, the band have built up a devoted fanbase with their captivating live shows.

Sunday promises to be a  just as exciting with performances on the Clock Tower Stage beginning with Coleford Community Choir & the Forest of Dean Area Wind Band. Small Dogs Bite, The Filthy Casuals and the Dirty Dogs all hail from the Forest of Dean & promise entertaining and energetic sets. The Strays have a unique modern sound with a vintage twist, described as No Doubt meets Imelda May, The Strays’ performance style is larger than life, interactive, and deliciously unpredictable.

Mad Apple Circus are an original blend of horn-fuelled styles, built on Ska/Hip-Hop/Jazz  and Latin grooves  nothing but the good stuff. Owing to their unique sound and energetic performances, this hard-hitting humble Bristolian nine-piece have fast become festival favourites.

Last band of the evening are The Specials Ltd who are a 9 piece band full of energy, excitement and accuracy, performing Specials favourites such as Gangsters, Too Much Too Young and Ghost Town.

The Newland street stage will feature a more laid back vibe with a mix of folk, blues, country & jazz culminating in a performance by Shooting The Crow on Saturday & whole day of Folk music presented by the Forest of Dean Folk Club on Sunday with Compost Heap & Misfit Pearl & the Oddfellows.

Coleford Music Festival has been known for promoting new young local talent & this year is no exception, check out the acoustic stage & St John Street Stage, both will feature some performances from young people & bands who have seldom before performed in front of a live audience. We also have performances from Forest Warrior, .Lila J, Ruzz Guitar’s Blues Review, Voodoo Sioux, and The Ukey Dukes & much more.

As well as live music there will be plenty of street food, including  hot pork, noodles, falafals, wraps, caribbean & spices, all to compliment the food outlets in the town centre.There will also be circus skills workshops, displays, and a festival market , the kids can be entertained by Punch & Judy & take part in some crafty activities, there may even be .one or two surprises! Anyone wishing to bring along an instrument can join in the acoustic fun with spaces available around the town centre.

The festival has been well known for getting people dancing in the streets & this year will be no exception, so come along & support this fantastic community event.

Programmes are available from local shops & the Tourist Information Centre. 

This year we have been striving to become a greener festival & are pleased to announce that zero waste will go to landfill & that reusable glasses can be purchased at the event.

We respectfully ask that everyone attending please make a small donation to a festival bucket to keep music live in Coleford! 

Donations can also be made via our website www.colefordmusicfestival.co.uk where the full line up can also be found.

You can be part of the team that creates street decorations for this years Coleford Music Festival. Come and join us along with local artists to make back drops, flags and banners and some art installations that will all be displayed during the festival around Coleford Town Centre. You don’t have to be artistic, just have the enthusiasm to get involved, try something new & give it a go!

The workshops will be held in the town centre next to the clock tower on four Saturdays running up to the event, on 15th, 22nd, 29th June & 6th July 2019.

We hope to see many of you there!

OYSTERBAND & THE JIVE ACES TO HEADLINE FREE COMMUNITY FESTIVAL IN THE FOREST OF DEAN

The Coleford Music Festival will take place on Saturday 14th & Sunday 15 July in the town centre of Coleford, Forest of Dean and It promises to be as spectacular as ever with something to please all musical tastes and ages!

Both days will have live music coming from four stages around the town centre which will feature an eclectic mix of jazz, reggae, rockabilly, blues, folk and more with performances from musicians and artists from the local area as well as a few from a little further afield.

Saturday kicks off at 1pm at the Clock Tower with Pillowell Silver Band, who have been around for well over 100 years and is still thriving and affectionately known as The Stompers in the early days due to the popular nature of the music played, the band still enjoys a reputation for entertainment. More performances will be from Found in The Forest Youth Theatre who will be performing a piece they have specially written for the festival, we will have Aziza belly dancers, plus some raw hair raising vocals, melodic guitar hooks and a driving rhythm section from Bxy, some classic rock n roll from The Del Cats, San Blas transforming the traditional tones of the ukulele and infusing it with British Rock, Forest Warriors who are heavyweights of the FoD music scene bringing you a big sound from the woods!.

Headlining saturday will be Oysterband, the award-winning band who bring passion, power and not a little poetry to folk and roots music. They make modern, folk rock & folk punk based British music, acoustic at heart, sometimes intense, sometimes rocking. Since 1978 they’ve toured in 35 countries  –  festivals, concerts, bars, rallies, jails, bring ’em on!  –  won 5 BBC Folk Awards and made 13 studio albums and one DVD.
They are a fabulous band to see performing live & we are very proud to have them at Coleford Music Festival.
Sunday promises to be a just as exciting, starting at 12midday with Stained Glass Window, a collective of local Christian musicians, mainly from Forest Community Church in Cinderford. Djabot will be performing traditional African rhythms as a group through the use of African drums, traditional percussion & singing, with Coleford Community Choir, The Earl Band, funk, soul & disco from Souls Strutters, Rockabilly madness from The DelRay Rockets, fast energetic ska/punk from Skaciety, high flying bluegrass with tumbling banjo, mandolin & harmonica from The Wootown Hillbillies, alternative rock from Crystal Balloon, all topped off with The Jive Aces who are The UK’s No. 1 Jive Swing Band.
Renowned worldwide for their high-energy spectacular showmanship, their viral video “Bring Me Sunshine” and for being the first live band to reach the final rounds of “Britain’s Got Talent”, The Jive Aces have firmly established themselves the UK’s No.1 Jive & Swing band. The live show includes classics like “When You’re Smiling”, “Mack The Knife” and “Sing, Sing, Sing”, plus originals such as “La Dolce Vita” taken from their various albums.

The Newland street stage (roots stage) will feature a more laid back vibe with a mix of folk, blues, bluegrass, Country & Jazz . Saturday will see performances from Alex Davies, Greenwhich Village, Adz King who has been taking inpiration form his travels , strongly influenced by 60’s folk music with a modern twist. The Ragtime Jug Orchestra are the authentic roots string-band sound of early 20th century America, playing a good-timemix of ragtime, country blues, hokum, skiffle and jug band music. The Shaggy Dog Raconteurs are a Country Blues/Americana quartet with a dash of Bluegrass, Ragtime.  They have songs to make your grandmother blush and your grandfather whistle!.

Sunday will feature performers from the Forest of Dean Folk Club who will deliver a lively mix of acoustic music, from traditional to contemporary in the Folk genre, to promote the long running club and showcase the local talent on offer on Singers Nights. The R and R band who have been a local legend for many years, playing their gutsy brand of blues and rock at pubs, clubs and festivals, Rob Connolly are an acoustic, folk music guitar band based in the Monmouthshire music scene, playing mostly their own material in folk, blues, pop style.
Joey The Crow will be ending the evening, a 4 piece band from Ross / Hereford  playing Folk / Rock,Bluegrass, Celtic and a lot more !! the band line up features an awesome fiddle player, they are all very experienced and accomplished musicians.

Coleford Music Festival has been known for promoting new young local talent & this year is no exception, check out St John Street Stage, who will feature bands such as In The Rough, The Filthy Casuals and Youngster who are all aged just 16, and who have seldom before performed in front of a live audience. This stage will also host performances from some festival favourites including The Rumble, The Modul8tors & Toadstool.

The Acoustic Stage will be running both days showcasing some of the best singer/songwriting talent from the area, anyone wishing to bring along an instrument can join in the acoustic fun with spaces available around the town centre.

As well as live music there will be plenty of street food, including hot pork, noodles, Thai curries, pizzas, baked potatoes, Churros, pancakes and a festival bar all to compliment the food outlets in the town centre.
There will also be circus skills workshops, displays, and a festival market , the kids can be entertained by Punch & Judy & take part in some crafty activities, there may even be one or two surprises!

A spokesperson for the festival said “ this year it has been particularly difficult to raise enough funds to put on the community event, past funding streams have disappeared and business sponsorship is hard to obtain. That is why we are extremely thankful for those local businesses that support this event, each will be displaying a special festival Supporters Certificate in their windows, so please support these businesses that help to keep the festival going. “
“ But we still need donations and respectfully ask that everyone attending please make a donation to a festival bucket to keep music live in Coleford, donations can also be made at Coleford Tourist Information Office, 4 Lords Hill, Coleford and online via our website http://www.colefordmusicfestival.co.uk where the full line up can also be found.”

Programmes are available from local shops & the Tourist Information Centre.

The festival has been well known for getting people dancing in the streets & this year will be no exception, so come along & support this fantastic community event.

The event  will take place on Saturday 22nd & Sunday 23rd July  in the town centre and It promises to be as spectacular as ever with something to please all musical tastes and ages!

Both days will kick off at 1pm and live music coming from four stages around the town centre throughtout each day and  featuring an eclectic mix of jazz, reggae, rockabilly, blues, folk and more with performances from musicians and artists from the local area as well as a few from a little further afield.

Saturday kicks off at the Clock Tower with the steel pans from Pandemonium, who are musicians from Lakers School. A pipe & drum band & Berry Hill Brass Band follows. Further performances from The Rag Time Jug Orchestra, The Don Fox Scandal, Shootin’ the Crow, Folklaw, Bare Knuckle Parade & The Hickory Stick Boys culminates in Legend taking the stage. Legend are 7 great musicians & singers dedicated to the life & music of the late, great Bob Marley. This dynamic band has a pedigree second to none & whose members have worked with many reggae greats. We can’t wait to see the town centre come together to sing & dance to One Love.

Sunday promises to be a  just as exciting with performances beginning with Coleford Community Choir & the Forest Youth Theatre. We will have some powerful Blues from Ruzz Guitar Blues Revue & African drumming from Djabot. Funk & hip hop from Cardiff based Afro Cluster who are one of the Horizons 12 acts for 2016/2017 & recognised by BBC Radio 6’s Tom Robinson & Craig Charles.

Graveyard Johnnys will be taking to the Clock Tower Stage bringing a frantic & energetic sound to the festival, mixing 1950’s rockabilly with the passion of punk rock from back when it was dangerous! (can’t wait to see these!)
Mad Dog Mccrea have a reputation of raising hands, lifting feet & starting parties wherever they play with their dance demanding recipe of folk, pop. rock, jazz & bluegrass, they whisk up whistles, fiddles & mandolins to spectacular & infectious effect.

This is all culminates in the 9 piece explosion of ska, rap & brassy dub from Maroon Town.

This band is tearing up audiences around the world. Tens of thousands of people from Brazil to Jamaica, India to Canada, from Tajikistanto here in the UK can vouch for that. Live TV performances, glowing press coverage & soundtrack hits on two major Hollywood releases make this band something not to be missed.

Coleford Music Festival has been known for promoting new young local talent & this year is no exception, check out Buskers Corner & St John Street Stage, both will feature some performances from young people & bands who have seldom before performed in front of a live audience.  We also have performances from The Rumble, Crystal Baloon & BXLY.

The Newland street stage will feature a more laid back vibe with a mix of folk, blues, country & jazz culminating in a performance by Earl & Pearl, Banshee, Ian Luther & Harpers Ferry.

As well as live music there will be plenty of street food, including  hot pork, noodles, falafals, wraps, salads, caribbean & spices, all to compliment the food outlets in the town centre.There will also be circus skills workshops, displays, and a festival market , the kids can be entertained by Punch & Judy & take part in some crafty activities, there may even be .one or two surprises! Anyone wishing to bring along an instrument can join in the acoustic fun with spaces available around the town centre.

There are a number of fringe events around the town centre including an open mic night at the Dog House on Thursday 2oth & ‘Songs for the Soul’ around the clock tower from 12 noon on Sunday 23rd getting CMF started with songs both secular & sacred brought to you by Coleford Churches Together.

The festival has been well known for getting people dancing in the streets & this year will be no exception, so come along & support this fantastic community event.

Programmes are available from local shops & the Tourist Information Centre.

We respectfully ask that everyone attending please make a small donation to a festival bucket to keep music live in Coleford! 

Donations can also be made via our website www.colefordmusicfestival.co.uk where the full line up can also be found.

A free family festival held in the town centre of Coleford, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire.

Festival organisers and volunteers have been working in partnership with Coleford Town Council to bring this fabulous community festival back to the streets of Coleford. The event will take place on Saturday 16th & Sunday 17th July in the town centre and It promises to be as spectacular as ever with something to please all musical tastes and ages!

Both days will kick off at 1pm and live music coming from four stages around the town centre which will feature an eclectic mix of jazz, reggae, rockabilly, blues, folk and more with performances from musicians and artists from the local area as well as a few from a little further afield.

This year we will be holding a colourful community pageant to open the festival.
The pageant will be a parade which will take place through Coleford Town Centre, led by local community artist Vicki Thornton who said “ Local schools, community groups and individuals have been engaged to create their own interpretation of ‘what is special’ about the Forest of Dean and what makes the forest nationally identifiable and unique today, such as the two rivers, trees, bluebells, deer, sheep and wild boar.”
Vicki has been working with artists Claire Milinzcuk and Sarah Cheese, who have all been delivering workshops in the local schools of St Johns and Clearwell whilst engaging with community groups such as Coleford Girl Guides, Coleford Brownies, Lakers Steel Pan Band, the Forest Youth Theatre and a Dementia Group based at Artspace.
Together they will present a visual display of ‘what is special about the forest’, including a two legged dragon (the mythical Wyevern), a giant tree, giant stag, a few unusually large books, a collection of giant butterflies, bees and fish along with two rivers!
To enjoy what will be hopefully the first of many Pageant’s across the forest, be at Coleford Clock Tower from 1pm on Saturday.
Following the pageant will be belly dancers, a salsa dancing workshop, as well as
performances from local bands The Rumble and Devon. For those that prefer a bit of Blues, The Keith Thompson band will be on main stage, for Jazz emthusiasts The Paris Jazz cafe Swing band will also be playing, all culminating in a performance by one of the hottest Ska acts around, 2Rude.

2Rude have been touring the country playing their unique style of two toned inspired hits, they have played a string of sell out shows, headlined festivals and have left thousands of people breathless and shouting for more. The band will be performing on th main stage on Saturday evening and we are anticipating a real party atmospehere!
Sunday will begin with a performance from the Coleford Commuity choir.Those that have been to the festival before know that we like to have a mix of music & one of the highlights of Sunday will be a performance from RSVP, spearheading the renaissance of live Bhangra in the Uk. From Glastonbury & Womad to Coleford Muisc Festival They’re always guaranteed to get the most reluctant on their feet, the ultimate in celebratory Indian music. We also have The Firebirds, recognised as one of Europe’s finest Doo Wap, Jive, Rock n’Roll & Rockabilly bands.

The headline performance on Sunday will be from the UK’s No1 1960’s Soul Man, Geno Washingon. He’s the real deal, enjoying cult status on the soul, R & B, Blues & Northe
rn Soul scenes. This is due mainly to his unsurpassable reputation as a live performer.
A contemporary of Alexis Corner, Georgie Fame, The Small Faces and Jimi Hendrix (all of whom were his support acts back in the day) and he is as electrifying on stage today as ever; a force of nature and a joy to behold, so don’t miss him!.

Coleford Music Festival has been known for promoting new young local talent & this year is no exception, check out Buskers Corner & St John Street Stage, both will feature some performances from young people & bands who have seldom before performed in front of a live audience.
The Newland street stage will feature a more laid back vibe with a mix of folk, blues, country & jazz culminating in a performance by Folklaw, a 4 piece acoustic folk-rock band from the Cotswolds.

As well as live music there will be plenty of street food, including hot pork, noodles, falafals, wraps, salads, caribbean & spices, all to compliment the food outlets in the town centre.There will also be circus skills workshops, displays, and a festival market , the kids can be entertained by Punch & Judy & take part in some crafty activities, there may even be .one or two surprises! Anyone wishing to bring along an instrument can join in the acoustic fun with spaces available around the town centre.

The festival has been well known for getting people dancing in the streets & this year will be no exception, so come along & support this fantastic community event.

Programmes are available from local shops & the Tourist Information Centre.
Full festival line up can be found at website http://www.colefordmusicfestival.co.uk along with details about how you can make a donation to keep music live in Coleford!

This year we will be holding a colourful community pageant to open the festival.

The pageant will be a celebration of the rich history and heritage of The Forest of Dean. It will bring a visual interpretation by means of a colourful sequence of tableau’s that depicts‘what is special’ about the Forest of Dean.

Local schools, community groups and individuals will be engaged to create their own interpretation of ‘what is special’ from times of celebration in local history such as festivals, brass bands, markets, fayre’s and events, and from what makes the forest nationally identifiable and unique today, such as the two rivers, tree’s, bluebells, deer, sheep and wild boar.

The pageant will be a parade which will take place through the town centre.

For further information about how to take part please contact

Vicki Yates from Switched On

email : switchedonforest@hotmail.com

tel: 07962 017 888

The Coleford Pageant is a ‘SWITCHED ON’ Project

2015 marked the return of Coleford Music Festival to the streets of the town, & what an event it was!!

A BIG THANK YOU to everyone who came & supported it, all those that volunteered their time over the weekend, anyone who donated either online or in a bucket. All of the very talented performers & artists who made the event such a fun, friendly family festival, we look forward to seeing you all again next year!

On behalf of the festival committee we hope that you had an enjoyable weekend….& don’t forget to make a donation so that we can do it all again next year!

Donations can be made below or dropped into the Coleford Town Council offices.

The festive team in partnership
with Coleford Town Council