We’re excited to have the incredible Richmond-based artist, Robert Meganck, create this year’s Folk Festival poster. You may remember Robert from 2005, when he created the poster for the first year of the National Folk Festival’s residency in Richmond. In 2024, he joins an esteemed group of artists that includes Wes Freed, Mickael Broth, Katie McBride, Chris Milk, Cassandra Kim, and Hamilton Glass.

The Richmond Folk Festival offers a variety of exciting volunteer areas. With over 1,000 volunteers each year, we can't do it without you! The festival is a wonderful place for civic, school, church, and office organizations to volunteer. Or simply sign up with your best friend or significant other to spend a day together at the Richmond Folk Festival!

As Sheryl Cormier tells the story, it plays like a scene from a movie: She’s out for a night of music and dancing with a group of friends and family at Bourque’s Club in Lewisburg, Louisiana, and her sister, Karleen, approaches legendary Cajun bandleader Ledel "Blackie" Forestier with a question, “Would you let my sister play a song on the accordion?”

The leaders of Rancho Aparte are determined to spread awareness of the indigenous chirimía music of Colombia’s Pacific region. “The love for home is part of the musical essence,” the bandleaders proudly proclaim.

But this brass and drum ensemble is also doing something a little different, presenting a progressive, high-energy take on an already unique sound popular in the department of Chocó, a region that boasts the largest Afro-Colombian population in the Republic of Colombia.