As the national development organisation for folk arts in England, we believe folk is for everyone, creating inclusive opportunities to learn, perform, participate and explore.
Our Activities:
- Artist Development – we offer grants and bursaries, and professional networking for folk artists, educators and practitioners.
- Education and Participation – we run classes, courses, training, youth programmes (including the National Youth Folk Ensemble and Inclusive Folk for young disabled people) and free online learning resources.
- Research and Study – we enable research (both historical and contemporary) and preserve unique collections and artefacts for future generations.
- Events – we present regular music gigs, social dances (including ceilidhs) workshops, conferences and lectures.
- Publications – we publish English Dance and Song magazine and Folk Music Journal.
Our Home is Cecil Sharp House – our Grade II listed music venue and folk arts centre, one of the very few buildings in the world built exclusively for folk music and dance. The House incorporates the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, our free national folk library and archive. Although our HQ is in London, we work for folk all across England.
And we don’t do this alone. We collaborate with organisations across the arts, folk, education and heritage sectors, creating partnerships that embrace new people and bring new perspectives into folk.
Our story began in 1932, when the English Folk Dance Society and the Folk-Song Society merged to form the English Folk Dance and Song Society. United by a shared passion, we set out to preserve, promote and develop the English folk arts. In 2026, we adopted the trading name, Folk England, reflecting our ongoing commitment to keeping folk evolving for everyone.
We’re rooted in England, but we’re proud to be a worldwide community. Around 3,000 Folk England members, alongside a global digital audience of 187,000 and 40,000 in-person audience members and participants every year, share our passion for folk and help us keep the culture and tradition thriving.
We are a Registered Charity, with regular funding from Arts Council England as a National Portfolio Organisation.
We place the folk arts at the heart of cultural life in England.
continues to be custodian of the people’s shared cultural history
Eliza Carthy
Support us, and support the folk arts
We champion folk music and dance at the heart of cultural life, all across England.
Donations provide immediate support. But even more than that, they prove that so many people value what we do – helping us to secure funding from partner organisations.
Can you donate today?
