Live music festival set to bring a ‘real potpourri of music and entertainment’ to Emsworth as WemsFest returns this September

A LIVE music, comedy and drama festival promising an ‘interesting and eclectic’ line-up is set to make a return to Emsworth this autumn.
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WemsFest will kick off with the fifth annual Emsworth Beer, Cider and Wine Festival from September 24 to 25.

This will launch a season of events, with musical performances being booked as far ahead as next July.

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Mark Ringwood-Millington, WemsFest artistic director, founded the festival 10 years ago.

Blazin' Fiddles perform at a previous WemsFest eventBlazin' Fiddles perform at a previous WemsFest event
Blazin' Fiddles perform at a previous WemsFest event
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The Emsworth resident said: ‘You've got everything from Eddi Reader, who has sold out, to newer artists.

‘The most exciting thing is to be bringing audiences something new.

‘We had to reschedule and reschedule the events, but it’s given us time to reevaluate how we do things.

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‘It's an excitable little animal that we’ve got going here - interesting and eclectic.

‘It's a very varied and different programme - we've got folk and blues, jazz and reggae, comedy, old country, folk rock. A real potpourri of music and entertainment.’

The Beer, Cider and Wine Festival will have at least 25 cask-conditioned ales from both local brews and national award winners, along with a range of excellent ciders.

Emsworth's independent wine merchants, Bush Vines, Portal, Dingwall and Norris, and Vin, will be providing a range of wines by the glass.

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Artists set to perform during WemsFest include Maroon Town, Grupo Lokito, The Tannahill Weavers, Skerryvore, Fairport Convention, and The Unthanks, with many more ready to take the stage every month from October to July.

WemsFest will have several new venues, and will also introduce an 'Emerging Artists' series in 2022 in the function room at Emsworth’s The Crown Hotel.

Previously purchased tickets will be honoured, and festival organisers thank supporters for their understanding and loyalty.

Mark added: ‘It's exciting and a challenge - we don't know what's ahead of us.

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‘We could be facing another lockdown, or audiences being reluctant to go out, but it's a challenge that we're happy to meet.’

The WemsFest team has staged more than 500 events since its inception in The Stag’s Head in Westbourne in January 2011.

More events will be confirmed at a later date. Visit wemsfest.com for more information and for the full list of dates.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

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