KJ Folk & Friends Ceilidhs

We are KJ Folk & Friends Ceilidhs. We are one of the fastest growing ceilidh bands in the UK right now. As a new band, we are having a huge impact in the folk scene and the ceilidh band market. Led by talented multi-instrumentalist, Kathryn Johnstone, the best folk musicians from around the UK are handpicked especially for you! From our traditional Scottish, English & Irish folk to our high-impact self-penned music, you can expect hours of foot-stomping fun. We can even include the Great Highland Bagpipes! We played the first ever Sheringham Lobster Potties Festival ceilidh & we are booked under our exclusive duet name, White Bryony, to play at the 2025 Friday Night Ceilidh at the Straw Bear Festival. All of our callers are high-profile, often calling for top UK Folk Festivals. Our musicians have played at all of these amazing festivals too, up and down the country, from Whitby Folk Week to Ely Folk Festival and even Sidmouth Folk Festival. Many ceilidh bands are actually agency bands that are not transparent about this, with clients disappointed that the line up is different to the ones in the video and musicians often meet for the first time at the gig itself. We are not a ceilidh band agency. We are the best of friends and play music together all the time (not just for ceilidhs) to the very highest standard. We have many musicians and callers that we work with, but we all play music with eachother on a regular basis, and this has so many great advantages. This means that we are able to create the best bespoke line-ups just for you, to really add that personal touch, whilst having the absolute best music! *E.g a Scottish family is having a wedding - we have the most perfect Scottish fiddle player and a Scottish caller who will often be placed into our line-up for these ceilidhs. We make it all about you and what will suit your needs and budget! The way we do things at KJ Folk & Friends also offer a degree of flexibility so you will never be let down if there is ever an unforeseen event such as an illness within the band - which can unfortunately happen with smaller bands that rely heavily on just a few band members. We have amazing music, we go above and beyond to create the most perfect ceilidh just for you with lots of special personal touches, and we only use the very best musicians and callers in the folk scene, that are guaranteed to get you up and dancing. What's not to love! 🎶🪗❤️ All quotes include: 🎶KJ Folk & Friends (3 musicians & a caller, always led by Kathryn Johnstone on the melodeon 🪗) 🎶Full professional PA sound system 🎶FREE 10 minutes of the great highland bagpipes during the outlined times (not compulsory - it's just a little freebie we like to add in for those that would love to have this fabulous feature) 🎶Full use of our vocal microphone for any speeches or announcements during the outlined times 🎶DJ-ing music through our professional DJ quality speakers during any breaks in the set. Dress code: we love to be colourful! However, we are often requested to wear black so we do not interfere with any colour schemes, and this is totally fine with us! Please let us know if you have any special requests at all. We will always do our best to accommodate. Discounts: We can reduce the quote if you are looking for a folky band and do not require a caller for a full ceilidh. Our job is to get everyone up and dancing with our high-energy music and we are often booked at pubs, corporate events, and wedding drinks to get everyone joining in, even when it isn't a full ceilidh. We also add in lots of songs that everyone can join in with for these sort of gigs. Our Irish sets are really popular with traditional songs such as Tell Me Ma, The Wild Rover and The Rattlin' Bog, to name a few. If you have a smaller budget, we also offer ceilidhs as a duet or solo, with Kathryn playing lead melody on the melodeon, plus a caller. You will still get a big, amazing sound as we are all professional musicians. Additional extras we can offer - please ask for specific prices: 🪗Our exclusive 5 piece band for a bigger sound - includes drums and a bass guitar 🪗Early PA sound system set up - this is perfect for speeches earlier in the day at weddings, with full use of the vocal mic. 🪗Late PA sound system pack down - you can use our PA system for a professional DJ service without the cost of hiring a DJ. You just need a playlist on a phone or laptop, and you can be connected up to our sound system within seconds to keep the party going after the ceilidh has finished! 🪗Bagpipes for longer than the free 10 minutes included in your package, or outside of the outlined times. This will be in Scottish dress, wearing the Johnstone tartan kilt.