MORRIS dancers in vibrant outfits and blackened faces wowed crowds during Oxford's Folk Weekend.

To the beat of drums and hum of accordions, between 450 and 500 dancers from 52 Morris dancing 'sides' put on a show for the fourth instalment of the annual festival.

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On the lawn outside Oxford's Pitt Rivers Museum dancers from The Flagcrackers of Craven showed off their dancing performed in the 'border tradition'.

The tribe is led by an elected squire, Nigel Foster, who said the tradition involved banging sticks, shouting and wearing jackets with coloured tatters.

The tribe always blacken their faces as a nod to the border tradition, when dancers would use soot to disguise themselves when drinking in nearby towns and villages.

He said: "They would turn their clothes inside out and take soot from the fire to blacken their faces.

"If they were caught by the local land owner they could be thrown out of their tenancy.

"This dates back to the 1880s."

The 49-year-old also had a message for anyone who caught the Morris dancing bug after watching their display at the weekend.

He said: "Despite what some people say, Morris dancing is booming at the moment.

"It's a great way to get fit, meet new people and have a laugh."

The festival spanned three days over the weekend and also featured storytelling, percussion workshops, concerts and ceilidhs at museums across the city.

One of the event's co-ordinators, Kate Rouse, said at least 200 people had attended events by Saturday afternoon.

She said: "Hundreds of people have been coming to the workshops and it's a lovely site with the Morris dancers.

"This has been the biggest and best yet.

"It's a real pleasure to be part of because it's a big effort but it's putting something into the heart of Oxford."