Line-up revealed for 41st Shetland Folk Festival

The visiting line-up for the 41st Shetland Folk Festival has been announced, ahead of its return in April.

Performers from 10 different nations will grace this year’s event, with Americana four-piece Foghorn Stringband returning for their first appearance since 2010.

They will be joined by Grammy Award winning songwriter Dirk Powell, who is appearing with his daughter Amelia this year.

The other North American acts are Shane Cook and the Woodchippers and the Eli West Trio.

Harare will represent South Africa at the festival, while the Lena Jonsson Trio will provide Scandinavian influences.

A full programme of local acts will be announced in the coming weeks, with performers such as Kansa, Haltadans and Vair already confirmed to play across the four-days.

The festival runs from Thursday, 27th April to Sunday 30th, with the festival club again being based at Islesburgh.

Festival spokeswoman Louise Johnson said she hoped the festival could strike a good balance of affordability with top entertainment.

“We are not taking anything for granted, and hope that our festival-goers and helpers are still in a position to be involved as before.,” she said.

“This year for us is about getting folk back into that diverse social scene, discovering great music and showcasing our own talent to the wider world.”

The full list of visiting bands is available to view here.