Arts and Culture - Music Dance Theatre

The performing arts are all accessible through experienceDevon’s tailor made holiday itinerary planning. Experience the local and traditional folk music, hear blues and jazz in the free pub sessions or at other venues,; be a cultural tourist and watch some Morris dancing or take part in workshops, courses and other cultural events.

There is a rich heritage of music in North Devon through is rural lifestyle and maritime history. Folk music is heard in pub sessions and highlighted in the three annual folk festivals in Bideford, Ilfracombe and Exmoor. The quality of musicianship is very high with many of the festival musicians sourced locally. There is a strong folk music following here among the old and young with many internationally known musicians choosing North Devon as a place to live away from the hubbub of the modern world.

The North Devon Festival’s Barnstaple Fringe champions Folk, Blues, Country and Jazz for 30 days in June annually. Contemporary jazz is regularly played at Broomhill Art Hotel and at the Beaver Pub in Appledore. There are also weekly open mic nights where local musicians will take to the stage often spontaneously jamming with each other to traditional folk and blues songs. 

North Devon has theatres and cinemas in the larger towns, ideal for catching a movie or watching live theatrical productions whilst on vacation. North Devon Theatres has two venues, the Queen’s Theatre in Barnstaple and the Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe. These two theatres score very highly in terms of customer satisfaction, nationally, and programme quality names such as Paul Merton, Bill Bailey; West End Musicals and International Orchestras, Classical musicians and Dance Companies.

North Devon is also rich in dance and many performances and workshops take place at various venues and as part of the Festivals. Morris dancing - traditional music and dance dating back to 19th century south west England - is still performed at Community events and can be seen at Festivals during the Summer months and on Lundy Island in October.