Rainford Junction Bluegrass and Old Time Festival
A family festival event, based on youth, inclusivity and community.
Rainford Junction, St Helens, Lancashire WA11 7JY
Thursday 2nd to Sunday 5th July 2026

Rainford Junction Youth Fund

Rainford Junction Festival is about sponsoring youngsters on their journey through bluegrass and old time music. The fund supports individual tuition, residential courses, online lessons and any other forms of education and research. £14 of your ticket money goes directly to this fund.

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All young musicians under 21 are entitled to free festival access and those under 18 also get to bring a chaperone for free. All youngsters may choose to be housed in our Scratch Band Village, a safeguarded welcoming community arranged around a communal picking area.

A Festival of Communities

Our festival site is arranged with small communities, each with public picking areas where everyone is welcome to join. That's a lot of music, in many places and all going on at the same time! Here's just some of the communities you'll find at Rainford Junction...

Your hosts, Junction Bluegrass, invite you back to Bresfest for a sixth successive year! It's the same great festival with a little bit more organisation! Let the picking commence!

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Bresfest
2026

We're so excited to welcome FOAOTMAD (Friends of American Old-Time Music and Dance) to Rainford Junction with the introduction of their on site 'Northern Camp'. With FOAOTMAD representatives on site, and a separate old- time area, Rainford Junction will be hosting old time jams, workshops and sessions. Great to have you guys, this is gonna be great!!

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FOAOTMAD
Northern Camp

And Great Events!

In search of that jelly-quivering high lonesome sound...

Saturday Night Gala

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Five of the finest young bluegrass and old time musicians in the UK lead five different scratch bands made up of twenty of the most promising youngsters below the age of 21. It's unique, it's a first and it's the biggest single event in the UK bluegrass and old time calendar.

The Battle of The Sessions

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Madness, mayhem, chaos and blisteringly fast bluegrass! It's back by popular demand! Five of the best sessions from around the UK get to battle it out for a slice of that UK Bluegrass Sessions Pork Pie Prize. All topped off by a set from one of the UK's bluegrass glitterati.