Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival facts for kids

The Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival (IVFDF) is the longest-running folk festival in the United Kingdom. It has been held every year since 1951!

This festival is special because it moves to a different place each year. It's also planned and run by student folk societies from different universities. Former students and people who love folk music come together at the host university for a fun weekend of music, dancing, and singing. The festival always happens on the last weekend of February or the first weekend of March. In 2009, the festival at Exeter University had about 1,169 people, which was the most ever at that time! The previous record was just over 1,000 people in Manchester in 1986.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 festival was held online. People in Bristol helped organize it. The most recent festival took place in Exeter in 2023.

Fun with Mascots

Society mascots are a big and exciting part of the festival. These are often stuffed animals or figures that represent different university folk societies.

In the past, there were some activities involving mascots that led to people getting hurt, so those activities are now not allowed to keep everyone safe. However, students still enjoy playing tricks with mascots, like hiding them from other societies!

Festival History

The very first festival was held in 1951 in Leeds. It was called the "Universities' Folk Dancing Festival" back then. It was organized by student groups from Hull University College and Leeds University. Leeds was chosen as the location because it was easier to get to and had better facilities. The festival used this name for two years. Then, in 1954, when it was held in Edinburgh, it started using the name "Inter-Varsity Folk Dance Festival" (IVFDF).

In the early days, the main event was the "Display Ceilidh." During this, university groups would perform different dances to show them off to everyone else. These dances could be new or traditional. They were a way to share different folk styles or show how skilled the dancers were. Later, evening dances were added, and by 1959, there were two evening dances.

The festival has never been held in the same city two years in a row. So far, 22 different cities have hosted it! The cities that have hosted the most often are Sheffield (10 times) and Exeter (8 times).

ICBINI: Another Folk Festival

I Can't Believe It's Not IVFDF (ICBINI) is a smaller festival that happens every year in November. The first ICBINI was held in Exeter in 2002.

Like the main IVFDF, ICBINI moves to a different place each year and is hosted by student folk societies. However, if a suitable host can't be found, the festival might not happen that year. The activities at ICBINI are very similar to those at the main IVFDF, offering more chances for folk dance fun!