The 32nd Lowell Folk Festival continues to provide the finest in traditional music, craft, foodways and more in downtown Lowell. This annual celebration is the best in traditional folk music, artisan crafts and ethnic foods, and will be returning to downtown Lowell with a full lineup beginning with the traditional parade of nations from Lowell’s City Hall Plaza to Boarding House Park. The free festival offers something for everyone, from 8 to 80-year-olds all within the heart of Lowell National Historical Park.
“This will be the 32nd year of the Lowell Folk Festival,” said Kevin Dwyer, Executive Director of the Lowell Folk Festival. “There will be a number of great new artists to the lineup this year. For a lot of performers, it will be their first time in Lowell. It’s really exciting to bring new world class artists to Lowell and get our attendees to see them for the first time! This community has embraced a festival that has drawn millions of people over the last 30 years. We’re very excited to present the 32nd festival this July.”
To celebrate the Festival’s 32nd Anniversary the Foodways area will be featuring Flatbreads: Plain & Fancy. Check out cooks who have adapted their traditions and how they found their way to America, and to the Lowell Folk Festival! Make sure you stop by and have a “Taste of Tradition!”
The Lowell Folk Festival is presented by Lowell National Historical Park, Lowell Festival Foundation, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the City of Lowell, the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce.
The perfect summer festival. More info here.
We are inviting volunteers, businesses, and organizations to donate their time and energy. Individual volunteers will continue to be the event’s backbone, and we are also recruiting teams of volunteers sponsored by businesses and organizations.
- Call the Lowell National Historical Park Volunteer Office at 978-275-1740, or
- Stop in at the Lowell National Historical Park Visitor Center at 246 Market Street, Lowell (free parking at 304 Dutton Street) and fill out an application.
The New Bedford Folk Festival
New Bedford Folk Festival brings together over 70 renowned and emerging performers and 90 plus juried arts and crafts vendors in New Bedford’s authentic historic district in July. In 2018, we celebrated the 23rd New Bedford Folk Festival on July 7 & 8. In 2019 the festival will be held on July 6 & 7.
The two-day family-oriented festival offers continuous folk music from 11 AM to 9 PM on seven sound stages in and around the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park ranging from the majestic 1200 seat Zeiterion Performing Arts Theater to the intimacy of the National Park Garden Stage.
The Artisans’ Marketplace showcases the handcrafted work of many local artists, as well as artisans from Maine to California and the International Bazaar, offers high-quality, imported handcrafts, many of them Fair Trade, from around the globe.
Food is also a great part of the festival. From street carts to the food court to the restaurants in and around the festival you can sample some of the tasty cuisines the area has to offer.
Presented by the Zeiterion Performing Arts Theater and hosted by the City of New Bedford, the New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park and the New Bedford Whaling Museum the New Bedford Folk Festival offers an exciting atmosphere with great music, beautiful arts and crafts and fun activities for the whole family.
Check out the crafts and commercial vendors
New Bedford Folk Festival – Vendors
33rd Lowell Folk Festival
The Lowell Folk Festival continues to provide the finest in traditional music, craft, foodways and more in downtown Lowell. This annual celebration is the best in traditional folk music, artisan crafts and ethnic foods, and will be returning to downtown Lowell with a full lineup beginning with the traditional parade of nations from Lowell’s City Hall Plaza to Boarding House Park. The free festival offers something for people of all ages all within the heart of Lowell National Historical Park.
The National Folk Festival.
Make your plans now to join us in Salisbury, Maryland, for the National Folk Festival—one of America’s largest, most prestigious and longest-running celebrations of arts, culture, and heritage.
A free, large-scale three-day outdoor event, the National Folk Festival celebrates the roots, richness and variety of American culture. It features over 350 of the nation’s finest traditional musicians, dancers, craftspeople and other keepers of culture in performances, workshops, and demonstrations, plus children’s activities, savory regional and ethnic cuisines and craft brews, non-stop participatory dancing, storytelling, parades, and more.
Best of all, it’s FREE!
With 35+ groups on seven performance stages—the Maryland Traditions Folklife Area, the Family Activities Area, the Festival Markeplace and the Festival Food Courts—the National Folk Festival offers a jubilant array of experiences for all ages.
The festival embraces the heritage and traditions of all Americans, from those whose families have been here for centuries or millennia, to those who have more recently arrived on our shores. Legendary masters, as well as the next generation of dynamic young artists, celebrate the musical soul and cultural roots of America.
The Richmond Folk Festival is one of Virginia’s largest events, drawing visitors from all over the country to downtown Richmond’s historic riverfront. The Festival is a FREE three-day event that got its start as the National Council for the Traditional Arts’ National Folk Festival, held in Richmond from 2005-2007. The Richmond Folk Festival features performing groups representing a diverse array of cultural traditions on seven stages.
THE BARGAIN of the Summer!
The New Bedford Folk Festival offers an impressive line-up of the best in contemporary, Americana, traditional, blues and Celtic folk music with more than 75 performances on seven stages over two days. At the heart of the festival are the workshops, themed jam sessions with multiple artists, many playing together for the first time, for a unique, never-to-be-seen-again show.
James Montgomery is coming to the Mass Arts Center for the first time to perform under the tent outdoors on Sunday, August 20, at 3 pm. Montgomery has rocked the blues scene for over four decades with his harmonica and vocals, earning a Grammy nomination along the way. He has collaborated with stars like Johnny Winter, Aerosmith, Bonnie Raitt, and Bruce Springsteen, and he is recognized as one of the finest blues performers in the country. He will be joined by his band, which features some of the best musicians in New England. Don’t miss this chance to enjoy a fantastic blues show under the tent at the Mass Arts Center next to the beautiful Norton Reservoir. Reserved tickets under the tent are $50, and VIP seating is available in the first two rows for $75, including a 2 p.m. meet-and-greet with James. General lawn seating is also available (bring your chairs and blankets) for $35.
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