Tucked away in the picturesque Western Lake District, where the mountains tumble into the sea, Muncaster Castle is fast becoming a destination for music.

Muncaster’s summer programme is packed, with familiar favourites like Country by the Castle and the Krankenhaus Festival returning once again later this summer.

However, excitingly, Muncaster’s musical offering is being further diversified this year with the addition of the Folk by the Castle festival.

Taking place on Friday, June 19, and Saturday 20, this new festival offers a chance to celebrate the summer solstice in a stunning setting with a stand-out folk soundtrack.

The festival’s creator, Joshua Payne, said: “I am really looking forward to Folk by the Castle.

“We have put together such an exciting and varied lineup that is a real testament to the strength and depth of the folk music scene in Cumbria and beyond.”

The carefully selected line-up offers an eclectic mix of some of folk music’s most the exciting prospects. 

Headliners include the genre-spanning, folk-rock band Aelfen, whose high-octane, fiddle-driven set is guaranteed to get everyone up dancing, and Megalichen, the Glaswegian, alt-folk group, familiar to attendees of the Celtic Connections and Knockengorroch festivals earlier this year.

But at the heart of the festival is a celebration the thriving local folk scene. From mainstays like Tryckster, and the ever growing and changing Mosstroopers, to some of Cumbria’s most interesting grassroots talents, like La’l Tethera, the festival is real showcase of the wealth of to be found talent in Cumbrian folk.

Cumbria has a rich and unique history within the folk music tradition with influences from both English and Celtic folk music.

In recent years, the local scene has experienced somewhat of a renaissance, growing from strength to strength.

Muncaster hopes that Folk by the Castle will become a fixture on the area’s musical calendar.