FISHGUARD is set for a folk-tastic long weekend of music and merriment as the 19th Fishguard Folk Festival begins on Friday, May 25.

With a grand total of 61 events running over the bank holiday weekend, 56 of which are free, the festival offers something for everyone.

It has concerts, sessions, workshops, singarounds, dances, a guided walk and even a Mummers' Play about a certain French invasion.

It is big enough to have some of everything, but small enough to be manageable. It has performers from all over the place, but also from Pembrokeshire. It has some big names, and some that even Google might have trouble with.

Headliners this year include internationally-recognised performers such as Jim Causley, Nancy Kerr and James Fagan, as well as rising stars like Ange Hardy and The Trials of Cato. Welsh folk legends Allan yn y Fan are also back on a return visit.

The majority of the acts are drawn from the British folk circuit, and the festival has a history of spotting the stars of tomorrow. In the past, performers have played in small, intimate venues in Fishguard, then gone on to appear at the Royal Albert Hall.

The festival is well-known for its friendliness. The performances are mainly in small venues such as Ffwrn, the Yacht Club and Peppers and the folk world is small enough for real, personal contact with its heroes.

There are plenty of chances to join in as well; this year there are workshops on percussion for children, concertina accompaniment, traditional dance, singing and accompaniment as well as singarounds, ceilidhs, open mic sessions and the all-important rolling session at the Royal Oak where five of the acts will join locals and visitors to play and sing in a non-stop celebration of melody.

There is also a workshop linked to this year's special event, a performance of No Petticoats Here by Louise Jordan which tells the inspirational stories of women whose lives were changed by the First World War.

Most of the festival's sixty-one events are completely free, donations in the buckets are most welcome; only the four headline concerts are ticketed at £12 each, or £40 for all four and No Petticoats Here at £5.

The programme is available online at fishguard-folk-music.co.uk. See Facebook (fishguardfolk) and Twitter (@FishFolkFest) for the latest news.