Friday 1 May – Sunday 3 May

Join us for our third year celebrating Beltane, with brilliant folk bringing art, music, stories and dance to the beautiful Dartmoor town of Ashburton.

On Friday 1 May, Stone Club introduce their short film Stones of Kernow — a love letter to the myth, magic and monoliths of the Cornish landscape, with music by Matthew Shaw. The evening continues with CRAVEN, the dark folk trio whose raw, visceral performances move through soundscapes from the grinding to the ethereal. Employing accordions, double bass, viol, violin, mandola, stomp boxes and a foot-keyed harmonium, expect a beautifully askew night of songs exploring transness, queerness, bitterness and yearning.
Find tickets HERE Doors 7pm for a 7.30pm start at Ashburton Arts, right next door to the gallery.

This opening night also launches an exhibition by Lally MacBeth, Matthew Shaw and Penny MacBeth, exploring portals, labyrinths and mazes — dreamscapes drawn from ancient landscapes and otherworldly thresholds. Through mixed media works including collages, paintings, music, costumes and photography, the exhibition forms a dreamscape of someone else’s making. Perhaps it is yours? No tickets required join us to celebrate the opening from 5pm at the @field system gallery.

Across the 3-day programme (1–3 May):
A guided Black Dog folklore walk on Dartmoor with Helen JR Bruce • Meet the Artists at Field System Gallery • Beltane Morris celebrations with Grimspound Border Morris and Newton Bushel Morris • and a special appearance by The WAD, the all-female Morris side bringing Cornish folklore and fire to Devon on Sunday 3 May.

And this year our Beltane celebration is nestled into the programme of the wonderful Dartmoors Tors Festival, see their website for more events in Ashburton and across Dartmoor the same weekend!