Preparations are underway for the 2013 Bath Folk Festival which is now going to be a nine day festival running from August 10 to 18 across the city of Bath in many locations and venues which will have lots of concerts, the final of the new shoots competition, sessions ceilidhs a summer school and workshops.
The programme is now expanded to include more dancing and there will be more outdoor events.
There will be a series of fundraising events leading up to the festival and the first being a masked ceilidh ball held at Banglo, Lower Bristol Road, on Sunday from 5pm.
The band will consist of Karen Tweed, Marick Baxter, Douglas Caird, Jane Dempsey, Liam Fear and Paul Kirby.
The Hibernia Centre's Jill Elliot will be calling and there will be Irish, Scottish, English, French and Swedish dances to take part in.
There will be a performance from Bath's own award winning sword dance team Northgate Rapper.
Watch them risk their lives in death defying feats of intricate dancing with Rapper blades.
The event cost £5 for adults and £1 for children.
People are asked to take the fanciest mask they can find.
Tickets are available from www.bathfolkclub.org.
Tonight, Bath Folk Club returns to Bath's Green Park Tavern.
Organisers say: "Our New Shoots season of gigs will feature some of the best entrants in our hugely successful New Shoots Competition, including highly commended finalists Thornbridge (pictured inset).
"Thornbridge are an English folk harmony group that have been singing together for many years.
"That experience stood out in the New Shoots Competition and brought them into the final.
"With harmonies so rich that you can almost see the air thicken around you and feel your soul being stirred.
"Their material harks back to old stories that get you reminiscing of times gone by.
"There will be floor spots for audience members who would like to perform."
The Bath Folk Festival New Shoots Competition was organised in conjunction with Real World Studios.
Admission tonight is £5.
