Yearly Events

World Concertina Day, sponsored by the ICA, is celebrated annually on February 6, the anniversary of the birth of Sir Charles Wheatstone. You can always contact the World Concertina Day team at wcd@concertina.org.

Banding Together summer and winter weekends, held at Halsway Manor National Centre for Folk Arts in Somerset, UK, provide advanced and fluent English system concertina players with the opportunity to join with others of similar proficiency to play as a big concertina band. The music is varied and challenging but help with preparation is provided. The result is an electrifying big band sound! Participants will still be expected to come well prepared and “band ready”, having spent time working on the music. Dots and resource materials are all emailed in advance.

Who’s it For?

Players must be fluent and confident on their instrument and read notation accurately. Preparation is essential. Music, together with audio files and practice guidance, is provided in advance. It is open to any English system concertina player who meets these criteria.

The Team

Banding Together weekends are organised by Junction 25 Concertina Band. Music for Banding Together is sourced and arranged by J25 director Claire Wren. Banding Together is committed to having a new professional guest conductor each year. These musicians bring unique expertise to the concertina band world, constantly raising standards of musicianship which keeps all weekends fresh and exciting.

For more information and booking details, contact Sue Walsh: nog_walsh@hotmail.com

The event ‘SqueezEast” is held annually in June at Stamford Arts Centre at Stamford, Lincolnshire England and it is run by SqueezEast Concertinas. Please see our website or email us for more information – or you can find us on Facebook.

• Email: contact@squeezeast.org.uk
• Website: http://www.squeezeast.org.uk

Swaledale Squeeze takes place each year in May at Grinton Lodge Youth Hostel, Grinton, Swaledale, N. Yorks., UK. All concertina systems welcome and non-playing partners welcome.

• Organizer: Steven Bradley
• Email: squeezeswaledale@gmail.com
• We also have a Facebook group people can join: https://www.facebook.com/groups/120126508017956/

March Residential Weekend for Intermediate to Advanced Level players, usually held at Halsway Manor, Somerset UK.

October Residential Weekend for Beginner to Intermediate Level players, usually held at Quantock Lodge, Somerset, UK. .

Workshops for all concertina systems and for concertina band and maintenance.

See full details at the WCCP website : https://thewccp.org

Miltown Malbay, Co. Clare, Ireland

The Cruinniú is a festival weekend consisting of Concertina classes, lectures, recitals, and sessions, like a mini Willie Clancy boutique festival. We cater and welcome all age groups and abilities. 

Website: https://concertinacruinniu.ie

Consairtin – The National Concertina Convention. Ennis, Co. Clare, Ireland.

Website: https://consairtin.ie

Various courses, events and meetings in Germany are listed here: Website : KonzertinaNetz.de – then click on “Treffen/Kurse” in the sidebar menu

• Contact: Elena Frecot
• Email: ohaeola@gmx.de

The annual Scandinavian Squeeze-In is tentatively scheduled for April 28-30, 2023

• Dates:  April 28-30, 2023
• Location:  Torna Hällestad, Skåne (southern Sweden)
• Website:  http://www.nonce.dk/SSI/
• Email:  ssi@nonce.dk
• Phone:  Jim Lucas  (+45) 22 62 03 99

The NorthEast Squeeze-In is a gathering of free-reed players. It’s not a music festival. It’s not a formal instructional weekend, though there are lots of workshops you can choose to attend. There are no paid performers or teachers. It’s a relaxing retreat from daily life — an opportunity to learn new tunes, improve your skills, and share what you know. We’re delighted to include beginners who are just getting started. All are welcome, even with other instruments — they round out the sound. It’s just a lot of fun, run entirely by volunteers, and organized as a not-for-profit event by and for musicians like you. 

Website: https://www.squeeze-in.org/index.html

Palestine, Texas, US.

Concertinas have been welcomed as a part of the Palestine festival since 2005. Our past concertina headliners have included Jody Kruskal, Bertram Levi, Dave Roberts, and Ann Kirrane. We concertina players have always been grateful to Jerry and to Margaret for allowing us to be part of the Old Pal fun, even though concertinas – although an old time instrument – are not the stuff of classic American string bands…This is a festival within a festival. The concertinas contribute a lot to Old Pal.

Website: https://oldpalmusic.com/?page_id=136