23 - 26 May 2025
23 - 26
May
2025
May
2025
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The Stick and Bucket Dance
This event is not run by the folk festival, but is shown here for your information.
| On: | Sunday 28th May 2023 |
| Starting at: | 18:00 |
| Finishing at: | 19:00 |
| Price: | Free |
| Where: | Old Road Tavern At the back of the train station , look out for the gate leading to the beer garden off New Road. A local pub with a vibrant folk scene all year around. As well as regular Irish and French sessions and being the spiritual home to Chippenham Town Morris, the pub hosts music and spoken word events across all genres. They have kindly given us use of their barn for a range of workshops, concerts and sessions. These can all be found within the main programme and are non ticketed events. As well as hosting our festival events , The old Road also offers a range of Fringe events from the popular Irish Session led by Steve Morris filling the bar throughout the weekend, the infamous Stick and Bucket dance and a range of gigs and other events. These can be found within the main programme. |
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The origins of the competition are somewhat lost in time, but this year will be at least the 24th year of the contest. Author Terry Pratchett, whose books inspired the competition, attended in the year 2000 and donated the grand prize – the coveted Bucket d’Or, which lives at the Old Road Tavern.
The contest takes place on Chippenham Folk Festival Sunday (this year Sunday 28th May) at 6pm outside the Old Road Tavern, and the only rules are there has to be a dance, a stick and a bucket. The rest is up to the competitors – and entries have invariably included buckets of water and other substances, more interpretations of a stick than you could… er… shake a stick at, and heaps of zany silliness and laughter. Some competitors make their dance up on the spot, while others practice for months. Our crack team of judges will make their decision and award the Bucket d’Or.
Bring your sticks, buckets, dancing feet and audience support to the Old Road Tavern to enter just before the competition starts. And make us all laugh.