Ceilidhs – Your chance to dance!
Come and have a dance at a BunkFest Mega Ceilidh! If you’re tapping your feet after watching dance displays round town, you’re in luck! Our Mega Ceilidhs at the Sports Park will have you whirling and twirling and dancing the night away! All BunkFest ceilidhs will use non-gendered calling, and everyone is welcome!
This year we’d like to ask adult ceilidh-goers for a suggested donation of £5. Please give generously to ensure BunkFest can keep putting on our wonderful events!
Friday 4th Sept Hithercroft Sports Park 8pm – 10.30pm
BunkFest Mega Ceilidh with Chimera and caller Annie Bolt with a display from Old Speckled Hen
Manchester’s favourite folk monsters Chimera originally formed in 2018, and came to its current iteration in 2024, bursting onto the folk scene and making a joyful noise wherever they go. The six-piece line-up features melodeon, fiddles (of all sizes), ‘cello, flute, whistles, trombone, drum kit, and altogether more XLR cables than is good and proper.
Chimera put the punch and drive in folk tunes from across the UK and beyond, and are guaranteed to get you up on your feet and dancing with their foot-stomping arrangements, where in ceilidhs, concerts, sessions, or a singaround by the fire.
Outside of Manchester, Chimera have performed at events and festivals around the UK (and slightly beyond!), including Chester Folk Festival, Just So Festival, La Fête des Bêtes (Guernsey) and more festivals coming the 2026 season.
Caller Annie Bolt is at the top of the ceilidh game, bringing fantastic fun to the dance floor wherever she goes.
Saturday 5th Sept Hithercroft Sports Park 8pm – 11pm
BunkFest Mega Ceilidh with Bristol Ceilidh Quartet and caller Martin Clarke with displays from Strictly Clog and Fool’s Gambit Morris
The Bristol Ceilidh Quartet brings together three English folk fiddlers and a fab cellist to make a big string sound with loads of energy and drive. They take great tunes and create exciting arrangements exploring the dynamic range of the string quartet. This isn’t serious classical music though – all of them have spent many years playing for traditional dance and every tune is calculated to get feet tapping and people on the dance floor.
They are: Sarah Moody (The Devil’s Violin, Andrew Christie Quartet), Deb Chalmers (Folk Dance Remixed, Stepling), Nonny Tabbush (The Tabbush Sisters), and Alison Rowley (former Creative Artist in Residence at Cecil Sharp House).
“Gorgeous sound and arrangements, great pace for dancing … now one of our favourite ceilidh bands!” – Penny Allen (Meltdown Ceilidhs)
“I was blown away by the wonderful vibrant sound. The irresistible lilting rhythm and great tunes got everyone dancing … The vocals added extra excitement.” – Madeleine Smith (caller)