An annual folk festival is set to return to St Albans next week as live music, traditional dancing and singing takes to the village of St Michael's.

The St Michael's Street Folk Evening will take place from 8pm until 11pm on Wednesday (July 5), with St Michael's Street itself being closed to traffic from 8pm until 10pm.

Music and singing will continue in St Michael's churchyard until 10.30pm, and until 11pm in the Six Bells pub.

The event was first held in 1988, and is held annually on the first Wednesday in July.

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This year's folk evening will begin with an overture by St Michael's bell ringers, who will ring from 7.15pm until 8pm, when the event begins.

Six dance groups will represent traditions from across Britain, Ireland and the USA

These dance groups include Wicket Brood (from Bricket Wood), St Albans Morris, Phoenix Morris, New Moon Morris, Tappalachian and the Louise Walsh Academy of Irish Dancing.

                                                                                            

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Pupils from St Michael's School will also be performing maypole dances in their playground.

A spokesperson for the St Michael's Street Folk Evening said: "St Michael's Village will be filled with music all evening.

"The permanent closure of two of the street’s four pubs and the current closure of the Rose and Crown has led to a move to other venues and the Anglo Cuban sounds of the Swan Vesta Social Club will be heard in St Michael’s Churchyard.

"The Six Bells Allstars will be playing in the Six Bells and the Ver Players ukulele band will be playing in the schoolyard after the maypole dance.

"A new venue last year was the Waffle House.

"Run of the Mill and fellow members of Redbourn Folk Club, will be singing in one part of the Waffle House grounds and the musicians who usually play on Wednesdays in the Robin Hood will be leading an informal music session in another, moving on to play by the Pudding Stone from 10-11pm.

"They hope other musicians will join them when the Waffle House closes and the dancing is finished."