After an absence of three decades, the Bristol Folk Festival returns to the city this weekend. Featuring a stellar lineup of some of the best musicians currently plying their trade in any genre of music, not just folk, the revived festival promises to be one of the undoubted highlights of Bristol’s musical year.

The Colston Hall will be the centre of activities over the Royal Wedding Bank Holiday weekend, with Bellowhead, Show of Hands and Seth Lakeman headlining the three nights of the festival.

As well as the award-winning musicians, the festival will feature Morris dancers and mummers, ceilidhs, and even indoor camping for the attendees from further afield at St Mary-on-the-Quay Church a few hundred yards from the Colston Hall.

With a two-stage undercover festival, one problem organisers will not have is the weather.

Flooding put pay to the original Bristol Folk Festival in 1979 when the River Avon burst its banks at the Hanham Mills site and caused organiser Reg Mann a nightmare which saw him lose £10,000.

Reg, now 79 and running a greengrocer’s in Midsomer Norton, will be a VIP guest on Sunday night.

Ticket prices vary for each day of the festival, with three-day weekend passes still available at £75 for adults, and £60 for over-65s and children aged six to 16.

Friday, April 29: £30 (£25 concessions)
Doors open 3pm: Seth Lakeman | Sean Lakeman & Kathryn Roberts |Jim Moray | Bella Hardy | Tom Palmer| 3 Daft Monkeys | Ruarri Joseph | Under the Driftwood Tree | Phoenix River Band | The Bristol Poets | Gaz Brookfield | Elephant Talk | Sloe Jam | Roger Tarry | Kate Corrigan | Songs from the Shed

Saturday, April 30: £40 (£35 concessions)
Doors open 9am
Music from 10am to midnight: Show of Hands | Jamie Smith’s Mabon | Jane Taylor | Pilgrims’ Way | Brooks Williams & Keith Warmington | Phil King | Elfynn | Inu | Luke Concannon | Silent Disco with special guest DJs | Jenna | Open mic hosted by Hoddmaddary | Bristol Shantymen | Hotwells Howlers | Keith Christmas | Barry Walsh | Unstrung Heroes with Geoff Lakeman | Songs from the Shed

Sunday, May 1: £45 (£40 concessions)
Doors open 8am
Music from 10am to midnight: Bellowhead | Sheelanagig | Fay Hield Trio | Belshazzar’s Feast | Rachael McShane Trio | Johnny Coppin | Dyer Cummings | Al O’Kane | The Bristol Poets | Furlined | Open mic hosted by Mark Venus | Jacanda | Jim Tigwell | Cole Stacey | Songs from the Shed

Visit www.bristolfolkfestival.com for full details.