About The Greenbank Folk Club

The Greenbank Folk Club is a new alternative, queer-led hub for the folk arts in East Bristol. Based in Greenbank, we’re proud to continue the city’s long tradition of community music-making while shaping a folk culture that feels relevant, accessible and alive today. Bristol was home to some of the most influential folk clubs of the 1960s and 70s, playing a vital role in the folk revival of the time. We believe it’s time to re-establish that energy — to bring people together, share tunes, songs and stories, and create a vibrant centre for folk in the neighbourhood we call home.

We run a twice-monthly open folk session, regular ceilidhs throughout the year, workshops on traditional folk skills (from dance to storytelling to instrumental technique), and a concert series hosted upstairs at The Greenbank Pub and at St Anne’s Church just around the corner. Everything we do is rooted in the same ethos: community, creativity and accessibility.

Greenbank Folk Club was founded by Alex Garden in late 2024, growing out of The Greenbank Session — formerly The Rising Sun session — which has been running since the end of the pandemic in 2021. From the very beginning, our sessions drew a large community of young, queer, neurodivergent and disabled musicians and listeners who felt safe, welcome and able to participate in ways that suited them. Our open-tradition sessions don’t require any preparation or prior knowledge; people join in however they can, regardless of skill level or background. This spirit of openness and care remains at the heart of everything we do.

We’re committed to developing access and inclusion across all areas of our work. If you have access needs or suggestions for how we can improve, we would love to hear from you. After each event, we encourage audiences to fill out our anonymous feedback survey so we can learn and grow with your guidance.

Most of our events currently take place at The Greenbank Pub or at St Anne’s Church, both in Easton, Bristol. We try to keep ticket prices as affordable as possible and we always recommend booking in advance if you’re thinking of coming to an event as they often sell out. If you have any questions or would like to find out how we can help with your access needs for a future event, please get in touch.

Alongside our live events, we also launched the Greenbank Folk Club Podcast in Janurary 2026. The podcast is a chance to speak with the artists, workshop leaders and regulars who make our community what it is both here in Bristol and across the UK — exploring their musical journeys, their connections to the folk arts and their hopes for the future of the folk scene. We’re especially interested in how folk clubs can evolve to become more accessible, more inclusive and more reflective of the communities they serve.

Greenbank Folk Club exists because of the people who come to listen, play, sing, dance and support live folk music in our community. Please share our events, tell your friends, and help us keep building a folk culture that is welcoming, joyful and open to all.

We’d like to thank our partner projects — The Greenbank, EFDSS (the English Folk Dance and Song Society) and Arts Council England — for their support.