OffBeat Folk Film Festival 2026

The OffBeat Folk Film Festival was set up to promote contemporary folk, vernacular, and place-based film. It brings together work that might not otherwise be screened and shows a broader and more inclusive definition of folk culture.

OffBeat focuses on films about everyday life, landscape, labour, and local knowledge in the UK. The programme includes documentary, narrative film, art film, archive work, and hybrid forms, with an emphasis on films that are often overlooked by mainstream festivals.

This year we are also including the OffBeat Art Club and Exhibition curated by Wilfrid Wood.

Dates and location

The Film Festival runs between 2nd - 14th May 2026 at venues including: The Walthamstow Trades Hall, The Mildmay Club, SET Social, Cecil Sharp House and many more.

The art exhibition opens on the 8th of May 2026 and runs until the 17th at Staffordshire St.

The programme brings together new and recent films from the UK alongside archive and lesser-seen work. Screenings are designed to be small-scale and attentive, with space for conversation rather than spectacle.

Highlights

18 events over two weeks in May
May Day Party hosted by artist and folklorist Lucy Wright
Art exhibition curated by Wilfrid Wood
Headline performance by Gwenno

Talks with experts
Folk workshops

Tickets

Email mike@offbeat.film for details

High-resolution images are available on request.