Blowzabella Workshop Festival (UK)
Blowzabella has a unique, driving, drone-infused sound, played with a fantastic sense of melody, rhythmic expertise, and pure feeling. It’s a successful formula, as the band organizes several Blowzabella weekends in the UK and Europe every year. These festivals are always a creative melting pot of masterclasses, initiations, balls, and concerts. This is their very last Blowzabella Workshop Festival anywhere in the world, and for the occasion, they have invited their old friends La Chavannée.
Blowzabella has a unique, driving, drone-infused sound, played with a fantastic sense of melody, rhythmic expertise, and pure feeling. They write their own music influenced by English and European traditional dance music. All band members compose; many of their tunes have become ‘standards’ in the modern English / European folk repertoire and are played by people all over the world. Bands across Europe experimenting with folk music cite Blowzabella as a major inspiration.
That is why the idea quickly grew within the band to share their expertise and especially their approach with the audience. It’s a successful formula, as the band organizes several Blowzabella weekends in the UK and Europe every year. These festivals are always a creative melting pot of masterclasses, initiations, balls, and concerts. The setup of this festival is that everyone can participate, from beginners to advanced musicians, as well as people who have never danced before. Everything in a relaxed and warm atmosphere!
All members of Blowzabella are experienced teachers and also invite a guest group they admire each time. For this very last Blowzabella Workshop Festival (anywhere in the world), they have invited their old friends La Chavannée. This group has done more than anyone to promote the popular traditions of the Bourbonnais region in central France.
This really is the very last Blowzabella Workshop Festival, so early booking is highly recommended.
Of course, there is also a concert, a ball, and plenty of jam sessions. In addition to separate tickets for the workshops, you can also buy combi-tickets for the entire weekend, as well as specifically for the ball and concert.
The full program can be found below.
TICKETS + TIMING
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2026
8:30 PM: Opening concert Blowzabella (+ jam afterwards)
Probably also one of the last concerts the band will play on Belgian soil. So, not to be missed in this respect either!
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2026
FOLK DANCE – all ages and levels are welcome. There is also plenty to learn for experienced dancers.
BLOWZABELLA / JO FREYA. Jo will teach you some of the great English and European traditional dances that Blowzabella has made popular over the past 30 years. The goal of the workshop is to help people get the most out of a Blowzabella dance/ball. The whole band plays acoustically – so it is an ‘unplugged’ Blowzabella ball. Free for those who have the all-in combi-ticket.
CREATE A SOUNDTRACK – beginners/intermediate/all ages/all skills/all instruments.
PAUL JAMES. Together we will compose and arrange music as a soundtrack for a short animated film made especially for this festival. All ages, all instruments, and all levels are welcome. The result will be played live with the film during the ball in the evening. This workshop is divided into two sessions on Saturday and one on Sunday. Your ticket is therefore valid for all three workshops!
BAGPIPES – intermediate/advanced.
JON SWAYNE. Introduction to the English bagpipe repertoire, both traditional and recently composed. Work is mainly done by ear, but music will be available at the end of the workshop. Technique and ornamentation relevant to that repertoire can be worked on. If time permits and the right instruments are available, the workshop can enjoy playing polyphony with two, three, or more lines – a form Jon has a lot of experience with. Suitable for conically bored mouth- or bellows-blown bagpipes in G (e.g., border, Flemish, and French pipes). Also bring your low D or C bagpipes if available. There are a total of 3 bagpipe sessions during this weekend. Your ticket is therefore valid for all three workshops!
DIATONIC ACCORDION (G/D) – intermediate/advanced.
ANDY CUTTING. To get the most out of this workshop, you must be able to learn a simple folk dance tune by ear and keep it up with others at the right tempo. This workshop is divided into two sessions on Saturday and one on Sunday. Your ticket is therefore valid for all three workshops!
HURDY-GURDY – intermediate/advanced.
BENOIT MICHAUD + PATRICK BOUFFARD + MAXOU HEINTZEN. Three grandmasters of the instrument each give a session on Saturday and a concluding joint masterclass on Sunday. To get the most out of this workshop, you must at least be able to learn a simple folk dance tune by ear and play it with others at the right tempo. This workshop is divided into two different sessions on Saturday and one on Sunday. Your ticket is therefore valid for all three workshops!
- Session 1 – 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM – Benoit Michaud – technique and refinement on the hurdy-gurdy: rhythmic variations with the right hand, independence of both hands, ornamentation, and instrument setup.
- Session 2 – 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM – Patrick Bouffard & Maxou Heintzen – tunes and playing techniques from the rich repertoire of La Chavannée and the Bourbonnais region in Central France.
- Session 3 – Sunday 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM – Masterclass with Patrick Bouffard, Maxou Heintzen & Benoit Michaud
SINGING – all ages / all levels.
JO FREYA. Besides Blowzabella, Jo is best known as a singer for her work in the harmony group Voices At The Door (Coope, Boyes and Simpson, Fraser, Freya, Boyes). Jo’s workshop is about contemporary and traditional folk songs in 3- and 4-part arrangements and will include at least one Coope, Boyes and Simpson song, as sung by them. It’s all about the joy of singing and you’ll soon be singing in harmony. This workshop is divided into two sessions, one on Saturday and one on Sunday. Your ticket is therefore valid for all three workshops!
BALL WITH BLOWZABELLA
In the evening at 8:00 PM, the party erupts during the balls, where participants and artists meet and the music truly comes to life. In addition to Blowzabella, La Chavannée and the Soundtrack workshop will also perform this evening.
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2026
- 10:30 AM – 11:30 AM: Instrument workshops: tickets for instrument workshops are also valid for Sunday sessions.
- 11:45 AM – 12:30 PM: Meet La Chavannée: The musicians of La Chavannée talk about their work around the traditions of the Bourbonnais and how they keep them alive and promote them. (only for combi-ticket holders and workshop participants)
- 2:00 PM – 4:30 PM: Final workshop/closing jam led by Blowzabella and La Chavannée.
NOTE: Please indicate with which instrument you want to follow the workshop when making your reservation. This can be done in the comments field during purchase.
Course of the event
- FRIDAY 16 OCTOBER
- Doors - 20:00
- Opening concert Blowzabella + jam - 20:30
- SATURDAY 17 OCTOBER
- Folk dance workshop - 10:00 - 12:00
- Instrument/ensemble workshop - 14:30 - 15:30
- Break - 15:30 - 16:00
- Instrument/ensemble workshop - 16:00 - 17:00
- Bal Blowzabella - 20:00
- SUNDAY 18 OCTOBER
- Instrument/ensemble workshop - 10:30 - 11:30
- Meet La Chavannée - 11:45 - 12:30
- Final workshop + closing jam - 14:00 - 16:30