The Four Fools Folk Festival was started by Angie & Ken Bladen, together with Bob & Ali Matthews. The first festival  was in June 1989 and  the foursome ran the festivals together until 1991. Ken and Angie continued running the festivals in Redditch until 1995, when they moved to Chorley in Lancashire, relocating the festival to Lowton Civic Hall, and later on to St Michaels School in Chorley.. In total they ran 23 festivals finally retiring in 2011 on their move to Saltburn.

The original Four Fools Festival in Redditch continued in Redditch, but under the name  The Redditch Folk Festival  (see Redditch Folk Festival article)