October 9-11, 2020
RICHMOND, VA – The Richmond Folk Festival will celebrate its 16th anniversary the weekend of October 9-11 with a “virtual” event that will bring together the community through a special television program, radio broadcasts and online streaming.
Venture Richmond Events, in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), the Virginia Folklife Program and the Children’s Museum will present new musical performances that are exclusive to this festival, highlights of favorite artists from past festivals, cooking demonstrations, a riverfront art installation, fun family activities, and so much more! The show will go on—a virtual event celebrating the roots, richness, and variety of American culture.
“We certainly share in the disappointment so many are feeling that we won’t be celebrating in person along our downtown Riverfront this October,” said Lisa Sims, CEO of Venture Richmond. “But we are grateful for our sponsors and partners who are helping us bring our community together for a culturally-rich, engaging and memorable weekend.
“We’re particularly excited to work with long-time sponsors VPM to broadcast a special television program featuring Virginia artists, and we hope everyone will stay tuned for more announcements about our official festival beer, t-shirt and poster. We’re doing everything we can to make the second weekend in October a true Folk Festival weekend.”
The first six artists announced to be featured in new musical performances include:
Aurelio (Garifuna)
Plaplaya, Honduras, and New York, New YorkLos Texmaniacs (conjunto tejano)
San Antonio TexasThe Quebe Sisters (Texas fiddling and western swing)
Dallas, TexasRahim AlHaj (Iraqi oud)
Albuquerque, New MexicoVishtèn (Acadian)
Prince Edward Island and Magdalen Islands, QuébecWalter “Wolfman” Washington & the Roadmasters (funk and R&B)
New Orleans, Louisiana
Click here for extended artist bios, plus audio and video samples on our website.
Art installation by Kevin Orlosky on Brown’s Island
A new and exciting addition to this year’s festival is an interactive art installation on Brown’s Island. Conceptualized by artist Kevin Orlosky, the sculpture will be a community project that draws parallels between our experiences during this period of social distancing and illustrates our similarities as well as the unique ways we are dealing with this pandemic.
The art installation will commence Friday, October 2, on Brown’s Island. Community participation will begin Sunday, October 4. Find out more about the art installation and community participation on our website.
CarMax Family Area produced by the Children’s Museum
Enjoy four great interactive videos from the Children’s Museum over the event weekend! Festival fans can make the iconic Children’s Museum BAG HATS with Art Studio Coordinator Cameron Booth, who will get participating families started by inspiring them to use their own creativity to express their identity. Cameron will also ask kids to DREAM BIG by demonstrating how to create a personal “Sofa Stage” and share some ideas for making homemade instruments. GOT RHYTHM? Grab some drumsticks (or any stick) and join in the fun with Children’s Museum educator Pamela McCartt to learn about patterns and how to identify them in stories and music. And finally, join Director of Education Krista Dawson as she reads a fun book about a child who likes to perform.
Interactive scavenger hunt
An interactive scavenger hunt on downtown Richmond’s riverfront is a fun, new festival activity! Participants can explore historical clues they may not have noticed before, learn Richmond Folk Festival history they may not have known, and share relevant musical links along the way. Those who successfully complete the one-hour scavenger hunt will be entered in drawings for great prizes, with new winners selected throughout the summer and fall! The scavenger hunt is open now and will remain open until October 13.
Find out more about the scavenger hunt on our website.
Ways to watch and listen to this year’s virtual festival
This year’s virtual festival is a great opportunity for families to plan gatherings and watch parties at home in a safe, fun and responsible way. (Hours listed below comprise planned blocks of time encompassing television, live streaming, and radio. Specific schedules for each platform will be released closer to the festival.)
Friday, October 9 from 6:00-10:00pm
Saturday, October 10 from 12:00-8:00pm
Sunday, October 11 from 12:00-8:00pm
VISIT RichmondFolkFesitval.org, the Richmond Folk Festival’s Facebook page, and the Richmond Folk Festival on YouTube to livestream the event.
WATCH All Together Now, a special television program celebrating Virginia artists, to be aired on VPM PBS Plus Channel 57.1 WCVW digital HD transmitters for festival coverage on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11.
LISTEN to Richmond public radio stations, VPM Music (107.3 FM & 93.1 FM), for festival coverage on Friday, October 9, Saturday, October 10, and Sunday, October 11.
“We’re thrilled to present an incredibly robust weekend of programming and activities for the whole family so that everyone can still get that Folk Fest feeling,” said Stephen Lecky, Venture Richmond Director of Events. “The excitement from our community partners, performers, incredible volunteers and sponsors has been amazing.
“If we can’t gather together on downtown’s riverfront to celebrate at the Richmond Folk Festival, we’re going to give you the next best thing. As in years past, this virtual event will celebrate the culture and diversity of our community and explore a variety of American traditions.”
More artist announcements and additional details about the Richmond Folk Festival virtual celebration will be released throughout the summer. Folk Fest Insider enewsletter subscribers will be among the first to receive updates and breaking news about the festival.
For more information about the Richmond Folk Festival, visit www.richmondfolkfestival.org.
#RVAFolkFest - Text to Give! Text FOLK to 44321
Many thanks to our sponsors:
Altria, City of Richmond, Dominion Energy, WestRock, Capital One, Community Foundation, CarMax, NBC12 & CW Richmond, Richmond Times-Dispatch, VPM, SummitMedia, National Park Service, Plan 9 Music, House of Hayes, Tonal Park Studios, Spacebomb Studios
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About the Richmond Folk Festival
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. In the tradition of “The National," the Richmond Folk Festival features excellent performing groups representing a diverse array of cultural traditions on seven stages. The festival includes continuous music and dance performances, a Virginia Folklife Area featuring ongoing demonstrations, an interactive Family Area produced by the Children's Museum, a folk art marketplace, regional and ethnic foods, festival merchandise and more. Additional information is available at www.richmondfolkfestival.org.
About Venture Richmond
Venture Richmond, Inc., is a non-profit organization formed to engage business and community leaders in partnering with the City to enhance the vitality of the community, particularly Downtown, through economic development, marketing, promotion, advocacy and events. Venture Richmond provides enhanced property management services for both the Downtown and Riverfront including; the Clean & Safe program, beautification and landscaping projects and management and maintenance of Brown's Island, the Canal Walk and Belle Isle parking lot.
Venture Richmond Events, LLC, produces Friday Cheers, the 2nd Street Festival, the Richmond Folk Festival, and partners with Sports Backers to produce Dominion Energy Riverrock.
Riverfront Canal Cruises, LLC, operates historically narrated boat tours and private charters of the James River and Kanawha Canal.
Both Venture Richmond Events, LLC, and Riverfront Canal Cruises, LLC, are subsidiaries of Venture Richmond, Inc. For more information visit www.venturerichmond.com.
About the National Council for the Traditional Arts
A leading non-profit in the field, the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) is dedicated to the presentation and documentation of folk and traditional arts in the U.S. Stressing excellence and authenticity, the NCTA presents the nation’s finest traditional artists in major festivals, tours, concerts, workshops, demonstrations, exhibitions, media productions, school programs, cross-cultural exchanges, and other activities. It works in partnership with American communities to establish new, sustainable traditional arts events that deliver lasting social, cultural, and economic benefits. Over 7,000 hours of the NCTA’s archival audio recordings dating from the 1930s are permanently housed at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress. The NCTA champions the interests of folk and traditional artists and organizations in the arena of public policy. For more about the NCTA, visit http://ncta-usa.org/.