Bromyard Folk Festival has come a long way in the half century since it put up its first tent in 1968, when it sold just 150 tickets. This year, the festival, which runs from September 6-9, expects to welcome thousands of visitors for a weekend of folk-fuelled fun.

The festival's aim has always been to promote folk traditions by making them as accessible as possible during a single weekend of packed entertainment. The artists taking to the stage include local artists, award-winning national performers and international folk legends, and the entertainment starts on Thursday evening, September 6, with Will Pound's Through the Seasons, a celebration of the year in folk dance.

Friday brings, among others, Rura, Granny's Attic, Crows and the winner of last year's Future of Young Folk Award, Molly Pipe, as well as a Morris procession through the town at 9pm and a late night song session at 11.45pm.

Saturday is full of workshops, singarounds, meet-the-artist sessions, two evening concerts, a ceilidh, musical variety concert and a late night club session. Saturday is also the annual Dancers' Day of Dance, held in the Falcon, and featuring a full day's programme of workshops with Mike Courthold, David and Kathryn Wright, Wild Ride and The Falconers.

Sunday brings all that Saturday offered, with the addition of the popular folk services in local churches and the Future of Young Folk Award. The award has been running since 2002 and many past winners and competitors are now among the leading performers on the current folk scene. It is open to singers aged under 25 (on September 1) and was set up to encourage to continuation of unaccompanied singing in the traditional style. Singers will be invited to sing one or two songs, and while it is not essential that the songs themselves are strictly traditional the style of singing should reflect a traditional approach. The competition takes place in Falcon Mews (a great acoustic venue), from noon until 1.30pm. If you would like to join an illustrious hall of fame, pick up an application form from the Information Office on the festival site and submit it by 6pm on Saturday. The winner will receive a handsome trophy and be booked to appear at next year’s Bromyard and Warwick Folk Festivals.

Sunday afternoon then features a song concert and a grand ceilidh. A variety of children’s events are held during the day on Saturday and Sunday, and include Jan Edgecombe's Blackboard van, where hoops, chalks, tubes and plates excite children's imaginations. There's also puppetry from Hand to Mouth Theatre and Dan the Hat with his trickery and improvisational comedy. There will be Morris and other dance displays throughout the weekend – in the town and on site, and the festival will come to a close with the popular Sunday evening concert in the on-site Court Theatre.

For full line-up details, visit bromyardfolkfestival.co.uk. To book call the box office at The Courtyard on 01432 340555 or visit courtyard.org.uk