OXFORD’S dreaming spires will be filled with the sounds of folk music and morris dancing again at the weekend as an impromptu folk festival returns.

Folk Weekend Oxford was quickly organised last year after rising costs and the recession forced the annual Oxford Folk Festival to cancel.

This year, with more time to plan, organisers hope the event, which takes place between Friday and Sunday, will be bigger and better.

The event will feature 45 folk acts across venues including the Old Fire Station, Wesley Memorial Church, the Ashmolean Museum and the Westgate Library.

There will also be a trade fair and morris dancing at Oxford Castle.

Organiser Cat Kelly said: “We have got quite a festival planned for this year and I am really hoping that the vibe is just going to be exciting and interesting.

“I have tried to mix acts that people will have heard of and are going to be great with really lovely gems that people might not have heard of.

“I am also loving the concept of holding a concert in the library.”

She said she decided to organise the event after Oxford Folk Festival organiser Tim Healey contacted her to say there would be no festival in 2012.

She added: “He asked if I would be interested in putting something on, so I resurrected Folk Weekend again.

“Last year the Folk Weekend was just people getting together to make sure something happened, but this year we are much more co-ordinated.

“Oxford has a really active folk scene and there is always tonnes of stuff going on.

“We thought it was really important to have a festival that is representative of that and showcases it.”

The organisers have received £2,000 from The Co-operative Foundation and £1,000 from Oxford Community Foundation to help with the running costs.

Mr Healey was unavailable for comment yesterday, but a message on the festival’s website said: “Following the cancellation of this year’s event, Oxford Folk Festival is now looking to the future.

“We are patiently rebuilding, and you can expect a series of concerts and fundraising events in the months to come.

“There is unlikely to be a full-scale festival in 2012 – but we hope to be in full swing by 2013.”

  • For tickets, visit folkweekendoxford.co.uk