LYME Regis’ annual weekend of folk music returns this weekend.

The Lyme Folk Weekend is making its triumphant return having been cancelled last year due to the pandemic.

It will run throughout the upcoming bank holiday weekend, from Friday, August 27 through to Monday, August 30.

Alongside traditional free music shows on the seafront, this year will see four headlining concerts at the Marine Theatre.

Organiser Jeremy Hayes said: “We’re all very excited to put on the event this year. It was touch and go for a while with the lockdown and restrictions so we’re very pleased to be able to put on anything at all.

“We’ve been lucky in that our supporters have been very understanding. They understand it’s a difficult time and have shown an incredible amount of patience. We offered refunds last year but nearly everybody kept their tickets for this year’s which was a huge boost to us.

“The artists have also shown us incredible support. The music industry has suffered as much as any for the past 18 months and everyone immediately signed on to come back this year which was fantastic and an enormous help to us.”

He added: “I think people are very much looking forward to the weekend and getting back to some form of normality.”

The Lyme Folk Weekend has been somewhat scaled down compared to previous years. Organisers are working to make sure the event is as safe as possible, with an emphasis on outdoor events and following the advice of the Marine Theatre.

The event was rescheduled to this bank holiday weekend last year after it became clear a 2020 event would not be possible. The organisers were able to retain all four headliners for the weekend and those with tickets have been able to keep them to use this year.

Refunds were also offered to those who purchased tickets or they could retain their ticket for the following year’s event.

Friday is headlined by multi-instrumental collaboration, the Gigspanner Big Band. Saturday will see festival favourite the Fay Heild Band return to the Marine with their trademark storytelling via fiddle, concertina, guitar and banjo. On Sunday night, the festival’s patrons will be bringing their unique ‘Ninebarrow & Friends’ show to the festival for the third time before Merry Hill, described by organisers as ‘one of the best live acts to hit the folk scene in years’ round the weekend off on the Monday night.

Tickets for the Marine Theatre shows, including a weekend passfor all four concerts, are available at www.lymefolk.com