Cajun Festive Ball All Dayer

Owen Spafford at Chats Palace

Cajun Festive Ball All Dayer is a festive Cajun dance day that brings together musicians, dancers and fiddle players in one programme. Cajun music, rooted in the French-speaking communities of Louisiana, is built on fiddle and dance rhythms, and this event is organised around exactly those two strands. Blues, country and folk also feature in the day's musical identity, so the sessions move between styles rather than staying with a single sound.

The afternoon opens with a Cajun fiddle workshop led by Jock Tlysy, followed by a Cajun dance workshop with Jess Collins and old-time sessions held at the bar. Performances come from Will Allen, Owen Spafford and Ben Filma Sanky, and from Jock & Vera, with short floor spots interspersed between the sets. The day closes with a Cajun dance party featuring La bas Cajun.

The format suits people who want to take part as well as watch. Workshops, old-time sessions and floor spots give dancers and players a way to join in alongside the performers, while the evening dance party focuses on social dancing to the live band.