Purbeck Rising
We have thousands of applications from bands to perform at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival every year. We think we make pretty good choices when it comes to the music but as Purbeck Valley Folk Festival is your festival as well as ours, we thought it might be a good idea to let you do some of the deciding!
Every year we host an online vote where you can select your favourite act. The one you’d like to see perform at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival. We select the top 10 acts out of the applications we’ve received, and then you help us narrow it down to 5! The 5 acts with the most votes will then perform live at the Purbeck Rising Showcase Final during the festival.
How do I vote?
Between Wednesday 25th March 2026 – Wednesday 1st April 2026 we will host an online public vote where you can vote for your favourite act (out of our top 10).
The 5 acts that receive the most votes will be shortlisted to take part in the Purbeck Rising Showcase Final at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival 2025.
Check back here in March to find out more information on who is in the Top 10 and how to vote!
Previous winners:
2025 – Clementine Lovell Trio
2024 – Eleanor Dunsdon & Gregor Black
2023 – Arquebus Trio & Rachel Hill (joint winners)
2022 – Rob Clamp
2021 – Calum Gilligan and Dead Horse Bay (joint winners)
2020 – Good Habits
2019 – Ben Morgan-Brown
2018 – Roswell
2017 – Antoine & Owena
2016 – Delphis
2015 – Aidan & the Wildfires
2014 – Lily of Barbary
2013 – Big Tent & the Gypsy Lantern
How do I enter?
To enter Purbeck Rising 2026, artists should fill in the following form with a link to a live YouTube video and their contact details before Friday 6th March 2026.
We will watch & listen to all the applications, and shortlist the top 10 (or so) acts. These shortlisted artists / bands will then be put up for a public vote between 25th March – 1st April 2026 with the 5 most popular acts going through to the live Purbeck Rising Showcase.
These 5 acts will be invited to attend the festival, as well as perform in the Purbeck Rising Showcase from 12pm on Saturday 22nd August 2026 – where judges (and the audience) vote for the winner!
Judges at the showcase final include representatives from PVFF, Wimborne Folk Festival, Wessex Folk Festival, Bridport Folk Festival as well as local folk club organisers – so a true showcase!
Fast Track to Final – we reserve the right to hand out a golden ticket and fast track someone to the finals if we spot them at a local open mic and we think they would do well in the showcase at the festival.
The prize
One act will be chosen for a paid slot on a main stage at Purbeck Valley Folk Festival next year.
Representatives from Wimborne, Wessex, and Bridport Folk Festivals and local folk clubs are part of the panel and may also select acts from the showcase to appear at their festivals! 🙂
