Payment? There’s A Clue In The Event Name…

The Beggars Fair is a free community festival on an extremely limited budget. It may not be a Glastonbury, Cambridge, Sidmouth etc but we do believe it’s the biggest of its kind in Hampshire.

If you are professionals expecting to be paid then the Beggars Fair is probably not your cup of tea. There is a clue in the title of the event as to how little you won’t be paid. Our performers play for free.

For our income we rely upon sponsors, programme selling, advertising and donations on the day to run the Beggars Fair as a free event for the folk of Romsey and the surrounding area. There is no way that an event like this can happen otherwise.

The Festival…

• 2024 will be the 30^th Beggars Fair.
• The Beggars Fair starts at 11am and finishes at 6pm.
• Venues are not ticketed and everything is free for all.
• Acts from earlier years are invited back, but we invite as many new performers as possible.
• Previous running orders are at 2023, 2022, 2019 &  2018.

Musical Acts…

• Submissions for are accepted until 31^st January 2024. Invitations to the lucky ones are then sent from February onwards. We are always many, many times oversubscribed.
• Music played must be live, not backing tracks.
• Preference will be given to those that perform original material or with an original take on existing or traditional material.
• All varieties of folk, roots, world, blues, jazz, choral, classical, medieval recorder music, barber shop and everything thing else in-between is considered.
• Performance slots are 30/45 mins with 15/30 mins change overs.
• Venues that need PAs have them, but you need to bring any backline gear. Stage drum kits are not provided.