Tolpuddle Martyrs festival
| Tolpuddle Martyrs' festival | |
|---|---|
 Billy Bragg performing in 2004 | |
| Date(s) | third week in July |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Location(s) | Tolpuddle |
| Previous event | 2012 |
| Next event | 2013 |
| Attendance | 10,000 |
| Website | |
| www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk | |
The Tolpuddle Martyrs' Festival and Rally is an annual festival held the village of Tolpuddle, in Dorset, England, which celebrates the memory of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. The event is a celebration of trade unionism and labour politics organised by the Dorset Committee of the National Union of Agricultural and Allied Workers now section of the TGWU and the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and featuring a parade of banners from many trade unions, a memorial service, speeches and music. The festival is usually held in the third week of July.
Each year a wreath is laid at the grave of James Hammett, one of the martyrs.
The main festival events are held outside the Martyrs' Museum on the western edge of Tolpuddle village. The main speeches and performances take place on a small stage in front of the Tolpuddle cottages and museum, with audience space on the green. The adjacent field, as well as having camping space, has a marquee, Workers Beer Company bar and merchandise stalls.
Recent festivals have featured speakers including politicians Tony Benn, Dennis Skinner, Jim Knight and Estelle Morris, British trade union leaders and many union organisers from around the world, especially countries where organising unions is difficult, such as Iraq and Colombia. Musicians include Billy Bragg, now an (almost) annual fixture, Dick Gaughan, David Rovics and Graham Moore.