The first ever Sark Folk Festival was a sell-out success.

The festival took place over three days in fields near the Pilcher Monument in the west of Sark. It was organised by a group of Guernsey and Sark music fans. Although it took folk music as its starting point, there was much more going on that just the beards and sandals stereotype.

Friday night's headliners were 6 Day Riot, a London-based band with a folk-pop sound who were so impressed with Sark that they've already asked to come back next year. On Saturday the singer-songwriter Leddra Chapman had the top slot and packed out the Vermerette tent. She was followed by Mordekkers who got everyone dancing. But there was also an opportunity to hear a lot of local musicians perform at the Festival. The Space Pirates of Rocquaine and the Barley Dogs proved especially popular.



As well as the music, there was plenty else going on with food stalls including paella and a hog roast and art and crafts activities.

Traditional pastimes of the islands were represented, with bachin (cauldron) ringing by Geraint Jennings from Jersey. The ringing of the bachin is supposed to drive away evil spirits at midsummer and given the weather and the trouble-free atmosphere at the Sark Folk Festival we can be pretty sure it works.



The organisers have already said they want to bring the event back next year. The festival committee Chairman, Simon Harvey, said:

"We've had such an amazing weekend this weekend. The tickets have sold out, we never even dreamed that would happen. We can't take any more people. We've got acts come over from England, from France, from Wales and of course all the local acts as well. It's just been fantastic."

A year ago, Simon Harvey was just a man with a dream, and he looked overwhelmed to see it come true this weekend. As many people at the event said, now that someone's held a music festival in Sark it seems like such an obviously brilliant idea, so why did no one ever think of it before?