
It’s summertime and, as we all know, the dance season is well underway with events galore. If you are still yearning for more, then you will be pleased to discover that we have once again put together a list of unmissable morris events to be added to your diaries in this latest What’s On? Fedacst. Registration for our Morris Federation Day of Dance and AGM in Cardiff is now open, along with applications to the John Gasson Jig Competition, and with a Save The Date for our 18 – 39 Workshop Weekend, there is something for everyone to keep you dancing to the end of the season and beyond.
Morris Federation AGM 2024
We are very pleased to announce that registration for the Morris Federation Day of Dance and AGM in Cardiff, on Saturday 21st September 2024, is now OPEN.
Hosted by Cardiff Morris, this event is open to all Morris Federation teams, and with activities planned for Friday night and Sunday, as well as the main event on Saturday, you could even make a full weekend of it!
To register your team for this event, or for further details, please click the button to the left. Registration closes on 31st July 2024.
John Gasson Jig Competition 2024

Applications to enter the 36th John Gasson Jig Competition, held annually at Sidmouth Folk Festival, are now open. This year’s competition will take place on Sunday 4th August 2024 at 3pm in the Blackmore Gardens Dance Marquee. An online entry form is available to fill out, or for more information and alternative ways of entering, please see the John Gasson Jig Competition website.
A bit of background history from the John Gasson Jig Competition website:
“This competition is organised in memory of John Gasson, who was tragically killed on his way to Sidmouth Festival in 1987. John was a fine jig dancer. Whether dancing or playing, his personal standards were high, and raising the general standard of display dancing was something very dear to him. Hopefully this competition will continue to raise the standard. This competition is sponsored by Janet Dowling, Dave and Fee Lock, His Old School Friends, Chris and Tracey Rose, The Seven Champions, The Outside Capering Crew, Kerry Fletcher and Dixie Lee.”
18 - 39 Federation Weekend 2025
We know how hard youth networking can be in the Morris world, and want to help with that, so this one is for the younger members…
Are you a young dancer or musician between the ages of 18 and 39, or will be in March 2025? Are you keen to meet, dance alongside and get to know other Morris folks of the same age? If so, this is the event for you. We are going to be hosting our very first 18 – 39 mixed workshop weekend in March 2025, and would like YOU to come and be a part of it. More details are to follow soon, but for now please block out those spaces in your diaries and watch this space.
When? Friday March 14th – Sunday March 16th 2025
Where? Sussex
Who for? All dancers and musicians aged between 18 and 39 in March 2025.
In The Media
It’s been a busy time for Morris in the media. Here’s a few things of interest, in case you missed them.
- Tradfolk – 21 Morris events to visit in 2024
- Film – Morris: A Life with Bells On (1hr 46 mins, 12, 2009) on Prime Freevee with ads
- Film: Morris Men Movie (1hr 42 mins, 18+, 2022) on Prime Video (rent or buy)
- I News – I’m a 38-year-old Morris Dancer – You’ve got us all wrong, by James Merryclough. (Behind a paywall)
- Tradfolk – 150 Years of Ella Mary Leather: The Folklorist who Saved Border Morris
- BBC Sunday feature, “A Jig into History”, Nandini Das celebrates the pioneering commercial triumph of Shakespeare’s clown Will Kemp (19 Feb 2023, on BBC Sounds, 14 mins)
FedExtra Submissions and Feedback

Thank you to everyone who has sent in articles, stories and pictures for our Summer FedExtra. Editing is now underway, so please do keep an eye on those inboxes as it will be making its way to you shortly!
Submissions for our Summer edition are open until Monday 1st July 2024, so you still have time to send us in anything you think we might like to include. For this edition, we are particularly keen to receive the following from Federation teams:
- Youth submissions for our Under 18 Youth Column.
- May Morning 2024 celebrations, particularly photographs of sun-upping dances.
- Thoughts from new dancers and/or musicians on what it was like performing for the first time with a morris team.
- A sentence or two on what attracted you to morris, and how you decided it was the hobby for you, for our upcoming Fed feature entitled “Why I became a Morris Dancer”. The more submissions we receive for this one, the better, so please do ask your team and let us know what they say…
- Morris dogs. If you missed out on submitting your furry Fed friend in time for the Spring edition, then you will be pleased to know we will be collecting further furry Fed friends for future editions, so please do send in a photo of your dog, along with their name and which Fed side they belong to.
Eliza, our Member Communications Officer, is very keen to hear your thoughts on the current layout and online publishing style of FedExtra, and whether or not our readers find the digital publishing format accessible. If you would like to provide feedback or suggestions, please send her an email at member-comms@morrisfed.org.uk
Events From Other Organisations
October 2024
- Illustrious Order of Fools & Beast Unconvention – Fri 11th – Sun 13th Oct 2024 in Birmingham. Save the date.
April 2025
- DERT (Dancing England Rapper Tournament) 2025 – Fri 4th – Sun 6th Apr 2025 in Peterborough. Save the date.
Anytime
- EFDSS What’s On: https://www.efdss.org/whats-on
- Folk Camps – book a weekend or week long fun
- Folk Forecast – a what’s on summary of folky events
- Folkscape Live – concert video recordings (some free, some paid-for)
- Halsway Manor – What’s On
- Tradfolk – news and articles about folky things
Events From Overseas

If you fancy something a bit further afield, check out these overseas events from CIOFF (International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts)