The Folklore Society blog : events

Offbeat Presents: An Evening with Doc Rowe - 10th November 2025

Published 13th October 2025

Legendary folk film archivist and FLS Council member Doc Rowe selects his 'Desert Island FIlms'.

Town Hall event: FLS Membership Survey 2023 update and next steps

Published 10th September 2025

Calling all Folklore Society Members! Town Hall Meeting, Wednesday 26 November, 7:00pm

A History of Folklore: Online Course, 2025-26

Published 26th August 2025

Following our sold out course in January this year, A History of Folklore, run by The Folklore Society in partnership with Oxford Continuing Education, is running again in September 2025, January 2026 and April 2026.

The Soldier’s Tale: Folklore Society Presidential Address 2025 and AGM

Published 26th August 2025

Details of our Presidential Address and Annual General Meeting, on Tuesday 16 September.

Book launch for Briggs’s Dictionary of Fairies

Published 25th August 2025

Please join The Folklore Society to celebrate the launch of Katharine Briggs’s Dictionary of Fairies, beautifully illustrated by the artist Fee Greening

EFDSS Online Course: Folk Song in England

Published 25th August 2025

New online course from the English Folk Dance and Song Society, running in October and November 2025.

Lying in Legend and Tradition: The Nineteenth Legendary Weekend of The Folklore Society

Published 15th August 2025

Join Jeremy Harte and Sophia Kingshill for our two-day conference on Lying in Legend and Tradition, to be held on Saturday 6th and Sunday 7th September as the nineteenth Legendary Weekend of the Folklore Society, at Tullie House in Castle Street, Carlisle, CA3 8TP.

Newer Researchers in Folklore Day

Published 30th June 2025

The Newer Researchers Day brings together researchers from all disciplines with an interest in folklore practice and study. It is a workshop intended to celebrate, share, and develop skills in the innovative ways in which many researchers are approaching contemporary living tradition.

Folklore Reimagined: 2025 events at The British Academy

Published 24th February 2025

How have global folklore traditions, stories, and customs shaped our identities? And what does contemporary folklore look like? Delve into fascinating topics like the lore of our landscapes, the importance of sung history, and how crafting can serve as an expression of heritage, with Folklore Reimagined.

Liz Overs in Performance

Published 17th October 2024

Liz Overs performs songs from her first solo album, Nightjar, joined by guitarist David Tomlins.

The Katharine Briggs Lecture and Book Award 2024

Published 16th October 2024

Dr Doc Rowe, ‘Transmission, Transformation and Trends: Historic and Contemporary Approaches to our Cultural Traditions’ The Folklore Society’s annual Katharine Briggs evening is jointly hosted this year by The Folklore Society and The English Folk Dance and Song Society. &nbsp

Folklore Without Borders: November Meeting

Published 15th October 2024

The Folklore Society are hosting a two-day symposium for the Folklore Without Borders research network on Thursday 14 and Friday 15 November.

Being Human Festival: Fangs and Folklore

Published 1st October 2024

Did Bram Stoker read any folklorists in order to write Dracula? What did he invent outright and what did he develop? How old is traditional belief in Vampires? Where do the stories come from?

Mermaids: Fish, Flesh or Fowl?

Published 25th September 2024

Sophia Kingshill examines the complex family tree of the mermaid, from ancient images to modern media. Mythology, symbolism, romance and lechery, with a touch of fraud and a taste of salt.

The Sailor's Tale: Folklore Society Presidential Address 2024 and AGM

Published 2nd September 2024

The Sailor's Tale The Folklore Society Presidential Address 2024 By Prof. David Hopkin (University of Oxford)

Water in Legend and Tradition - Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September 2024

Published 13th August 2024

Water in Legend and Tradition: the 18th Legendary Weekend of The Folklore Society

Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September 2024

St Peter's by the Waterfront, College Street, Ipswich IP4 1BF, UK

The Folklore, Superstitions and Customs of Sussex

Published 2nd August 2024

What did people believe in the past and why? How much of the old folk culture survives till our own day? This talk by local historian Chris Hare will include folk medicine, rituals of the seasons and the Moon, and how the lives of country people translated into town life as Sussex became more urbanised

Digital Folklore: hybrid conference Programme

Published 6th May 2024

We have a terrific line-up of speakers on the programme for our Digital Folklore hybrid conference, 28-30 June 2024, online and in-person at Kings College London, Strand, London WC2B 4BG, UK

Water in Legend and Tradition

Published 24th February 2024

Water in Legend and Tradition: the 18^th Legendary Weekend of The Folklore Society Saturday 31 August and Sunday 1 September 2024

Exhibition at The National Library of Scotland: Sgeul / Story : Folktales from the Scottish Highlands

Published 13th February 2024

An exhibition on folklorist John Francis Campbell is currently on at The National Library of Scotland.

UK Government Consultation on Intangible Cultural Heritage

Published 23rd January 2024

The UK Government is proposing to ratify the UNESCO Convention on Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) and, accordingly, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) is inviting participation in a public consultation via an online survey and online roundtable discussions.

Folk Dance: Grappling with Tradition conference

Published 19th October 2023

Folk Dance: Grappling with Tradition

Conference of the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library, English Folk Dance and Song Society

Saturday 11 and Sunday 12 November 2023

RAI Research Seminar on Alfred Cort Haddon

Published 18th October 2023

Ciarán Walsh will be launching his book Alfred Cort Haddon: a Very English Savage at The Royal Anthropological Institute’s Research Seminar on Tuesday 31 October 2023, 16:00-18:00, at 50 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 5BT.

Bodylore

Published 12th September 2023

Bodylore - The role of shared stories in making contraceptive choices 3rd - 8th Oct 2023 Pop-up Exhibition, at the Truman Brewery, 11 Dray Walk, London, E1 6QL

Katharine Briggs Lecture 2022: recording

Published 2nd June 2023

Doc Rowe very kindly filmed the 2022 Katharine Briggs Lecture, given at Conway Hall, London, on Tuesday 8 November at 18:30, by Katherine Langrish: 'Fenrir's Fetter and the Power of Stories.'

Making Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain: Exhibition Review

Published 2nd June 2023

Making Mischief: Folk Costume in Britain: Exhibition 11 February to 11 June 2023, at Compton Verney

ISFNR Interim Conference 2022

Published 21st October 2022

We were delighted to attend and set up our Folklore Society stand at the ISFNR Interim hybrid Conference 2022: "Folk Narrative and the Visual Arts", at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts London, in July this year.

'Henry Glassie: Field Work'

Published 7th June 2021

Henry Glassie: Field Work: at The Folklore Society

CANCELLED: Folklore, Learning and Literacies Conference 24-26 April 2020

Published 8th March 2020

The Folklore Society regrets to announce the cancellation of our Folklore, Learning and Literacies conference, 24-26 April 2020. This because the Covid-19 (Coronavirus) situation is only likely to get worse in the medium term, and there is considerable uncertainty about what its consequences will be.

Last Chance: £1 book sale Weds 17 July, 5-7:30 pm

Published 17th July 2019

We are holding our final £1 sale of stocks of Folklore Society publications and back issues of our journal Folklore today, Weds 17 July, from 5-7:30 pm at The Warburg Institute.

Book Sale 27 February

Published 21st February 2019

We're having another sale of second hand books, at very cheap prices, plus back issues of our journal Folklore from 1976 to 2013 (with some gaps) and remaining back stocks of FLS Books @£1.00 each.

Book Sale: second hand folklore books and back issues of 'Folklore'

Published 13th February 2018

The book sale will take place on Wednesday 11 April 2018, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at The Warburg Institute, Woburn Square, London WC1H 0AB

Food and Drink in Legend and Tradition

Published 9th September 2016

Many thanks to all our speakers and audience at the conference at St Nick's Centre, York. Great papers, and some tasty samples too.

Reflected Shadows: Folklore and the Gothic

Published 19th April 2016

Many thanks to everyone who attended our conference 15-17 April, and especially to all of our wonderful speakers.

David Buchan Lecture 2015

Published 17th March 2016

Diane Goldstein's inaugural David Buchan Lecture from November 2015

The Texts of Charms, The Contexts of Charming

Published 8th January 2016

Dr Jonathan Roper will give a talk "The Texts of Charms, The Context of Charming" at The Royal Anthropological Institute, 30 Fitzroy Street, London W1T 5BT, Wednesday 17 February 2016, 5.30 p.m.

Calendar Customs and Seasonal Events conference

Published 7th July 2015

We had a really good turn out to hear lots of great papers at our conference at the University of Exeter, 26-28 June. Thanks to our keynote speaker Nick Groom, we were entertained brilliantly on Friday evening by the Ramsley Pace-Eggers and on Saturday evening by the Beltane Border Morris.

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