Chippenham and Chester Folk Festival Chippenham Folk Festival and Chester Folk Festival are joining forces online this year. Geography is no longer a boundary, we can have a global reach, bringing communities together wherever they are in the world, it said. John Kirkpatrick, the patron of the festival said: “This is such an exciting idea - two great festivals pooling their resources to make one mighty weekend that can be enjoyed from anywhere in the world. It’s so impressive to see how resourceful and inventive the folk community can be to keep the music alive and kicking.”