Artists appearing
at Festival at the Edge 2026
Artist Confirmed
Check back here regularly to see Artists details as they are confirmed.
Ace of Clubs – Representatives from 4 Storytelling Clubs
Details TBC
Phil Okwedy
Born in Cardiff of a Welsh mother and Nigerian father, Phil Okwedy is a performance storyteller and mythmaker who draws deeply on his dual heritage and multiple cultures. He regularly performs in storytelling clubs and has featured at Beyond the Border and Aberystwyth Storytelling Festival, as well as at Kea Festival in Greece and Fabula Festival in Sweden. In 2018 he published his first book, Wil & the Welsh Black Cattle (Gomer, 2018), a set of Welsh folktales framed around the mythology of the ancient cattle drovers. In 2021 he was awarded a place on Literature Wales’ Representing Wales writer development programme and in 2022-23 he toured his first storytelling show, The Gods Are All Here, around Wales, weaving together myth, folktale and Phil’s own personal story sparked by the discovery of a series of letters from his father in Nigeria to his mother in Wales.
Baden Prince
Baden Prince (Jnr) has established a considerable reputation as a storyteller over the last 7 or so years, largely due to a series of appearances at the East Anglian Storytelling Festival. His repertoire incorporates traditional Caribbean tales, as well as original, self-penned material. In October 2018 he featured as guest storyteller at the Three Golden Apples Festival in Taunton, hosted by Taffy Thomas MBE. Since 2019 Baden has made several guest appearances at Bromyard, Cambridge, Chippenham and New Forest Folk Festivals and Glastonbury, among others.
In February 2022 Baden was invited to be a guest teller at the inaugural Morocco International Storytelling Festival in Marrakesh. He has since returned to Marrakesh twice and took part in the marathon storytelling session in 2025 which set a verified Guinness World Record. For the first two years of its existence, Baden was Assistant Curator of the pioneering World Storytelling Café project, working alongside the legendary John Row.
Most recently he has appeared at Strumpshaw Tree Fair (June 2025) and Yarn Storytelling Festival in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland (November 2025).
John Tams
John Tams’ work has spanned 7 decades in every performance medium. He is a recognised authority on vernacular music – a seven times winner at the BBC Folk Awards.
Theatre includes work at the Old Vic, the RSC, The Globe, Sheffield Crucible, West Yorkshire Playhouse, Birmingham Rep, Joint Stock, Chichester Festival Theatre and 7:84. At the National Theatre, he has worked as actor and musical director/composer on over 30 productions including; The Mysteries, Lark Rise to Candleford, Glengarry Glen Ross, many of which transferred to the West End or toured. He played Daniel Hagman in the TV series Sharpe, for which he was script associate, co-writing the score. For radio, he was executive music director of the Radio Ballads winning Gold at the Sony Radio Academy Awards.
As an original member of the creative team that brought War Horse to the stage, he has since toured the world as a production executive. His performance of “Only Remembered” before the late Queen Elizabeth at The Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall was watched, globally by over 70 million viewers. He worked with Steven Spielberg on the movie and his adaptation of the book toured as a ‘concert’ reading with author Sir Michael Morpurgo inspired by a BBC Radio 2 version which he directed featuring Timothy Spall, Brenda Blethyn and Bob Hoskins.
He has made over 60 albums and continues to tour festival and concert stages. He holds Honorary Doctorates from Sheffield Hallam and Derby universities.
War Horse continues to tour.
His own never-ending tour is entitled ‘Not Withstanding….!’ – pull up a chair ….
Melrose Quartet
Melrose Quartet are an outstanding live act, featuring the talents of Nancy Kerr (voice, fiddle), James Fagan (voice, bouzouki, guitar), Jess Arrowsmith (voice, fiddle) and Richard Arrowsmith (voice, melodeons). September 2023 saw the release of “Make The World Anew”, which went straight into the Official Folk Charts at Number 11, and followed the critical success of “Dominion” and “The Rudolph Variations.” Their debut album “Fifty Verses” was nominated for Best Album at the 2014 BBC Folk Awards.
From deep roots in Sheffield’s vibrant music, song and dance scene, to concert appearances all over the UK, Melrose Quartet have forged a reputation for making music that truly connects with people. All four are internationally renowned singers, instrumentalists and writer/composers, respected teachers and the patrons of Whitby Folk Festival.
Combining strong instrumentals especially inspired by English dance music with four-part harmony singing, Melrose Quartet are equally comfortable leading a chorus session as playing concert halls. A truly all-round act of the highest quality.
Latest video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dZBTlH0skc
NEW ALBUM “MAKE THE WORLD ANEW”
“FIVE STARS – Harmony singing second to none. An excellent album by a magnificent band.” RnR
“Album of the Year” Folk London
“Make The World Anew attempts in a small but determined way to achieve the edict set out in its title, and it succeeds resoundingly. It is also Melrose Quartet’s most upbeat and accomplished album to date.” Folk Radio UK
“Make The World Anew is like a musical patchwork quilt – wrap yourself up in it and enjoy the sound of four friends making the music that they really love.” TradFolk
Xanthe Gresham Knight
Xanthe Gresham Knight is an international performance storyteller and author. For the last 30 years she has performed at Festivals, Gardens, Museums and Theatres from America to New Zealand, Europe to Singapore. Xanthe has toured India and the UAE thanks to numerous commissions from the British Council, was a core storyteller for the British Museum for 25 years and a Senior Lecturer in storytelling and drama for the University of East London for 17 years. Storytelling in Residence for Harvard University, The Chelsea Physic Garden, The Smithsonian Institute, Blanton Museum Texas and Psychologies Magazine. Books include Goddesses and Heroines – Women of Myth and Legend; Herba Mythica – The Myths and Folktales of Sacred Healing Plants; Sussex Folktales for Children.
Unfolds each story like the petals of a lotus – at the end you leave with something beautiful created in your own mind – British Theatre Review
More To be Announced …
Details to follow.
