Great British Folk Festival Weekend

This December sees Skegness hosting the first ever Great British Folk Festival weekend. Enjoy a three night break where you can see big-name acts performing live and plus plenty of activities to keep you entertained during the day. This is a great opportunity to see live acoustic acts in a festival atmosphere without the mud!

Some of the finest folk talent in the world will be at the Great British Folk Festival weekend. We’ve got a fantastic line-up of folk stars of past and present, including Sandi Thom, Kate Rusby, Richard Digance, The Dylan Project and Legends of Folk Rock: current and former members of Fairport Convention, Steeleye Span, Jethro Tull, Lindisfarne and Magna Carta & The Albion Band.

There’s more acts yet to be announced and as with all Big Weekends, you'll be given plenty of activities to keep you entertained throughout the day.

The Butlins Skegness Folk Festival is set to be the best winter Folk Weekend of 2010. The line up of Folk artists and dance acts is just superb and the list is ever growing.

Confirmed

Sandi Thom - Singer Sandi Thom made it big in 2006 with a series of live internet broadcasts and had a UK Number 1 with I wish I was a Punk Rocker (With Flowers in my Hair).

Kate Rusby - Famed for her duet with Ronan Keating, Mercury Prize-nominated singer/songwriter Kate Rusby is bringing her stunning voice and songwriting talents to Butlins.

Jiggery Pipery - Jiggerypipery are now a well established act, forming in 1999, they quickly defined their own unique style and sound. With two albums, ‘Jiggerypipery’ & ‘The Drift’ under their belts, they continue to forge ahead with both albums having had extensive radio play on national and local radio.

Acoustic Strawbs - Acoustic Strawbs are David Cousins, Dave Lambert, and Chas Cronk , the front-line of the classic 1970s line-up of Britain ’s most successful international folk-rock band, and who tour regularly as Acoustic Strawbs.

The Gathering of: - Folk super group Gathering: The Legends of Folk Rock includes former members of Jethro Tull, Lindisfarne and Fairport Convention.

Away with the Faeries - Since forming "Away With The Faeries" in 2009 the band have worked to develop their own unique acoustic sound, blending traditional folk music with their own material.

Oyster Band - With 30 years of folk music and the BBC Folk Award for Best Group under their belt, the Oyster Band is one of the most experienced acts on the folk scene.

Also Appearing
 - The Gary Fletcher Band
 - Hunter Muskett
 - John Renbourn & Jacqui McShee
 - Phil Cool
 - The Dylan Project

STOP PRESS - Just Announced - Donovan will also be appearing

Fri 3 – Mon 6 Dec, Butlins Skegness Resort
3 nights from only £69 per person

Find out more...

Brussels Jazz Marathon

Brussels Jazz Marathon - 29/05/09 to 31/05/09 with ShortBreaks

This huge jazz festival of the Brussels Jazz Marathon features more than 450 musicians performing on the main squares in Brussels (Grand Place, place du Sablon, place Ste-Catherine & place Fernand Cocq) as well as in 50 venues/clubs/hotels.

The line up features world famous artists and breakthrough jazz musicians and covers all musical styles of the jazz spectrum - from classic to freeform.

The entire programme is available to visitors for free - just book a break and sit back and enjoy the party.

Visit the ShortBreaks website to find out more

Music Tours from Milestones

For over sixty years Milestones has planned and perfected its escorted tours. They have grown to offer an extensive collection of holiday options across the globe.

If you are interested in Music Tours, take a look at the following escorted tours with Milestones:

Tastes and Sounds of the South
11 DAY TOUR FROM GBP1699

Experience the great music cities of Nashville and Elvis' Memphis before following the mighty Mississippi south to gracious Natchez and New Orleans, the 'Big Easy'.

Sightseeing Highlights

• Nashville Explore the city, visit the Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum and attend a live recording at the Grand Ole Opry.
• Lynchburg Tour the famous Jack Daniel's Distillery.
• Memphis Explore the Birthplace of Rock n Roll.
• Graceland Visit Elvis Presley's estate, collections, memorobilia and gravesite.
• Natchez Tour the city with a local guide and visit an historical Antebellum mansion.
• Frogmore Cotton Plantation Learn about past and present cotton production.
• Lafayette Drive through Cajun Country and enjoy a tour of the city.
• Vermilionville Discover this Cajun/Creole heritage village and park with a local guide.
• Atchafalaya Basin Enjoy a guided tour of the bayou, cruising one of Americas greatest river swamps.
• Oak Alley Plantation Visit this spectacular & historic plantation and tour the mansion.
• New Orleans Explore the French Quarter and Garden District and visit an above-ground cemetary.

The Sound of Music
9 DAY TOUR FROM £1250

Capture the stunning Alpine scenery on a leisurely journey from Vienna to Munich with stops in Mozarts Salzburg and the lovely resort of Innsbruck.

Sightseeing Highlights

• Vienna Sightseeing including the Imperial Boulevards, St. Stephen's Cathedral, the Hofburg, Opera and Parliament.
• Mayerling Learn the tragic story of Prince Rudolph and his mistress!
• Heiligenkreuz Visit the Abbey of the Holy Cross.
• Danube Valley See the ornate Monastery of Melk.
• Mondsee See the church where Captain Von Trapp and Maria were married in the film "The Sound of Music".
• Salzburg Sightseeing exploring the Domplatz, Mozart's birthplace and "The Sound of Music" locations.
• Berchtesgaden Visit the Bavarian Alpine resort.
• Innsbruck Orientation tour including the Golden Roof, the Hofburg Palace, the Olympic ski-jump and Wilten Basilica.
• Neuschwanstein Horse and carriage ride to visit Mad King Ludwig's fairytale Castle.
• Oberammergau Visit the Passion Play village.
• Munich Orientation includes the Marienplatz with its Glockenspiel, the Opera House and Hofbrauhaus.
• Scenic drives Danube Valley, Salzkammergut, Traunsee, Attersee and Mondsee lakes, Bavarian Alps, Wilder Kaiser Mountains.

To find out more visit the Milestones website

Late Availability Offers

Here's a selection of late availability offers from some of our holiday providers. Remember, you'll have to move quickly because when they're gone, they're gone...

A Peruvian Adventure - 13 days from £2394
Departs: 29th October
Holiday Provider: Page & Moy
Bookings: Online or Tel: 0845 3582639

Travel by mountain railway to the ‘Lost City’ of Machu Picchu, fly over the vast and enigmatic Nazca Lines, shop for colourful textiles in a bustling Andean market, sail on Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake, discover Inca gold in Lima and explore ancient temples and Spanish colonial churches.

Spirit of Cuba - 16 days from £1829
Departs: 15th October
Holiday Provider: Page & Moy
Bookings: Online or Tel: 0845 3582639

Take an unforgettable journey across Cuba from Old Havana, where classic American cars and horse-drawn carriages are equally at home… through the bizarre yet breathtaking landscape of the Vinales Valley to the colonial splendour of Trinidad and Santiago… then relax on a soft white sandy beach and swim in the warm waters of the Caribbean.

CMA Awards - The Oscars of Country Music 2008 - 6 days from £989
Departs: 9th November
Holiday Provider: Travelsphere
Bookings: Online or Tel: 0845 3582638

Travelsphere are once again delighted to bring you the EXCLUSIVE opportunity to attend the 42nd Annual Country Music Association Awards ceremony in Nashville. This star-studded event, billed as ‘Country Music’s Biggest Night™’, is attended by everyone who is anyone in country music, and is broadcast live across America.

Turkey Activity Week - 8 days from £649
Departs: 19th Sept & 10th Oct
Holiday Provider: The Adventure Company
Bookings: Online or Tel: 0845 609 0838

Paddle sea kayaks over the remains of the sunken city of Kekova, then later dive at one of the best sites in the Med on an exhilarating SCUBA experience. Also includes mountain-biking & river-rafting.

Walk the Levadas of Madeira - 8 days from £479
Departs: 27th Sept & 11th Oct
Holiday Provider: The Adventure Company
Bookings: Online or Tel: 0845 609 0838

Explore the ingenious water irrigation systems called levadas. Following the natural contours, the early settlers brought water down from the highest area to their sugar plantations using these man-made channels. The finale is an ascent of Pico do Arieiro for sunrise and a dramatic traverse to the highest point in Madeira, Pico Ruivo (1862m)