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Tag Archives: Richmond Folk Festival


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19th Richmond Folk Festival kicks off Oct. 13 with Michael Cleveland, Wild Ponies, Wayne Henderson and many more

The 19th Richmond Folk Festival begins Friday, Oct. 13, and runs for three days of a variety of FREE music, food and fun, according to organizers. 

With six stages and nearly 90 performances, many people plan to spend more than one day at the festival. Add in more than 30 food vendors, a crafts marketplace, a Virginia Folklife Area and Stage and one of the most beautiful festival sites in Richmond, and we think you’ll want to go for multiple days to experience as much as possible. And the festival goes on, rain or shine, with several of the stages tented.

Essentials to enhance your visit

Festival Hours

  • Friday, Oct. 13 — 6:30 pm – 10 p.m. 
  • Saturday, Oct. 14 — Noon – 9:30 p.m. 
  • Sunday, Oct. 15 — Noon – 6 p.m.

Performers
Read up on all of the fantastic artists who will perform. With styles ranging from jazz to gospel, Irish, rockabilly, salsa and more, there’s something for everyone to love or learn about.

Performance Schedule
With six stages and more than 90 performances, you’ll want to plan ahead to make sure to get the most out of the festivals. Take a peek now so you can plan ahead!

Donations
This is a LARGE festival with a hefty budget that is supported largely by generous sponsors. However, the festival needs your help to remain FREE and sustainable! There is a suggested donation of $10 per person per day that can be made online HERE, or by finding a volunteer in a bright orange shirt carrying a bright orange bucket at the festival and making a “Drop in the Bucket!” Or, you can text FOLK to 44321 to give from your mobile phone. Thanks for your help in keeping the festival FREE!


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Claire Lynch, Jeff Little Trio, Mavis Staples among artists to perform at free Richmond Folk Fest on Oct. 12-14, 2018

The Richmond Folk Festival, scheduled for Oct. 12-14, 2018, is one of Virginia’s largest events, drawing visitors from all over the country to downtown Richmond’s historic riverfront, according to organizers.

Much like the Greensboro Folk Festival, this 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.

 

In 2017, the festival attracted more than 220,000 people to downtown Richmond’s riverfront to celebrate the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, dance traditional crafts, storytelling and food.

The Richmond Folk Festival has become one of Virginia’s largest and most-loved events of the year and has been voted as the best musical festival in Richmond several years running. The 2018 Festival will bring a new and similarly amazing list of performers — including bluegrass superstar Claire Lynch, Boone, North Carolina-based Jeff Little Trio and gospel queen Mavis Staples — as well as other artists and exhibitors.

Learn more here: https://www.richmondfolkfestival.org/performers/


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Wild Ponies get back to their roots with ‘Galax’

What happens when you throw a group of Nashville and Galax, Virginia, musicians who have never played together in a barn behind a farmhouse nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains? Musical magic.

That’s exactly what happened a year ago this month when the Wild Ponies – otherwise known as Doug and Telisha Williams – decided to get back to their musical and geographic roots.

“I had spent a lot time playing on my grandfather’s farm and it’s just a beautiful place to spend some time,” Doug said in a recent phone interview. “We wanted to play with people who played with my grandfather and then get some people from Nashville to play as well. It just felt like something we needed to do.” Continue reading →