The Labadoux festival is a folk festival that has been held every year since 1988 in the municipality of Ingelmunster in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The festival has become a fixture in the Flemish festival landscape. Labadoux presents 'Music with roots' and at the same time open to new talent that can give the festival an original approach.

The festival originated from the music café "De Fagot" operated by Jean-Piere Deven. "De Fagot" is located in the Stationsstraat between the Mandel and the Roeselare-Leie Canal. The building that now houses the pub was the end of the long façade of Tapijtenweverij Vanooteghem. The caretaker of the factory lived there. People used to call the factory "De Labadou". In a French etymological dictionary from 1850 it says: labadou = lavier; lieu destiné à laver du linge. So a place to wash linen. Applicable for a carpet factory where a lot of linen was used. It is not known when the word labadou was first used in Ingelmunster. The word was found by the local local circle in an interview with Leon Deschuytere. The X was finally added by the committee that wanted to organize a cultural party in 1988 close to De Fagot.

Rock Werchter is four days, four stages with the biggest headliners, young talents, raging rockers, incredible singer-songwriters, new names and the coolest beats around. Rock Werchter books acts from all kinds of genres. In 2019 Belgium's largest summer festival takes place between Thursday 27 June and Sunday 30 June. Rock Werchter is a unique experience. The line-up is always world-class, the conditions exceptional and the festival feeling omnipresent. Rock Werchter is a multi-award-winning international hit and a regular fixture in every music lover’s diary.

It all began 40 years ago as a Midsummer’s Fest at Bachmann’s Water Mill on the Vidå River in Tønder. In June 1974, a bunch of young music enthusiasts organised a three-day event of folk music, ballads and beer in the Old Mill, which soon became known as the Song Mill.

Three days of music
Enthusiasm was plentiful, and the group put on yet another three-day session in September that same year. On stage on both occasions, incidentally, was a Scotsman who has ever since been a loyal musician, presenter, media consultant, and general support for the Tønder Festival: Rod Sinclair.

Carsten Panduro
Founder activist Carsten Panduro was Festival director for four decades, up to August 2014 with the title of artistic director. It is not too much to say that Carsten Panduro – latterly with Anni Lehmann– created and consolidated the spirit and ethos, not to mention the lofty standards, that are Tønder Festival’s signature to this day.

The First Festival
The first real Tønder Festival took place over three days in August 1975. The music programme was eclectic– from the Slesvig Infantry Regiment Music Corps to beat groups like Alrune Rod and Taurus, the latter better known later as TV-2. Steffen Brandt was telling the truth when, as Niels Hausgaard’s guest in the Culture House in 2006, he announced,“It really is a while since I played at Tønder Festival.”

Bromyard Folk Festival is one of the best folk cultural events in the Welsh Border area, featuring over 170 hours of entertainment in just one weekend of traditional music, song and dance. Some of the most outstanding local, national and international traditional folk musicians performing in concert, ceilidhs and displays. Headlining this year are the legends of folk, Oysterband, the multi BBC Folk Awards winning group, The Young’Uns, the massively powerful Scottish folk force of RURA, the music hall legends Cosmotheka, the incredibly highly acclaimed Chris Wood and the beautiful traditional sounds of Orkney from Fara + many more artists… The Best Of Folk.

Bridgnorth Folk Festival ran a free event in the High Street on the Sunday of August bank holiday weekend. They went from strength to strength and in 2006 they moved to Shrewsbury, leaving a void that was filled by three guys from Highley who wanted to continue with a festival over the August Bank Holiday. Malcolm, Alan and Mark alongside sound engineer Adam Harley, organised a series of great events including a festival in the High Street and events throughout the area.

The festival committee has changed over the years but we still follow a similar format with a main event in the High Street on the Sunday before August bank holiday Monday. We now also have a Rock Stage at the Edgar Davies Ground, Bridgnorth Rugby Club, on the Saturday of bank holiday weekend and an event on the Quayside on bank holiday Monday. Plus LOADS of other great events happening all around the area.