Welcome to the Dereham Blues festival
The heart of the blues in the heart of Norfolk
Spring is here and the Festival run up is starting!
The festival dates for everyone’s diaries this year are Wednesday 10th July to Sunday 14th, but the lead-up to the festival this year features a number of exciting events.
Firstly, come and see us at Dereham Day on Saturday 11th May where, along with the Norfolk Blues Society we will be jammin' some ad-hoc blues numbers, selling merch and holding a raffle for some great prizes.
Next, our friends at NBS are presenting The Big Gig at Dereham Memorial Hall, a great opportunity to catch Blues Rock superstars Santiago and the Soulmovers, the evening presented and opened by the wonderful Mississippi Macdonald, backed by The Shunters. The concert is on Saturday 25th May, and tickets are just £17. Buy yours here before they sell out!
Then, to celebrate the Festival's 10th year, we have organised a number of workshop's and presentations, from singing in a Blues & Soul choir to making your own cigar box guitar. More details are here, together with the chance to buy tickets. Thanks to support from Dereham Town Council, The Geoffrey Watling Charity and the Norfolk Blues Society, ticket prices are very affordable.
The Festival opening concert on Wednesday 10th July at the Dereham Memorial Hall features the fabulous and amazing Toby Lee, brilliantly supported by Catfish. There are just a handful of tickets left, so book yours here before its too late.
Welcome to the 2024 Dereham Blues Festival website as we celebrate our 10th anniversary festival. Whether you are a serious performer, an enthusiastic busker or a fan of the blues and live music, we hope you’ll find everything you need here in preparation for joining us in Dereham at the end of the second week in July.
We are very proud of our festival (now widely recognised on the national blues circuit) and the many benefits it brings to the town of Dereham. If you’ve never been, it’s well worth a visit to sample a wide range of blues music – you’ll hear acoustic guitars, a heavier electric feel, wailing harmonicas, solo artists, jam sessions, original artists, bands playing old standards that make you want to get up and dance, and much more.
More than 50 bands will be playing in venues throughout the town. We are also hosting a variety of hands-on workshops and talks, as well as a family-friendly busking event on the Saturday. The vast majority of the performances are free-entry – great music for the price of a drink or two.
Latest News
It's selection time!
Applications to play at the 2024 festival are now closed, and we have started the selection process to choose the 50 or so bands to appear this year from the 124 applications received. Not an easy task, have sympathy for us!