JUNE 30
Richmond Folk Festival
Live and in Person! October 8-10, 2021
The Richmond Folk Festival will return this fall, live and in person, to celebrate its 17th anniversary the weekend of October 8-10, 2021. The festival has become one of Virginia’s largest, drawing fans each year to downtown Richmond’s riverfront to celebrate the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional crafts, storytelling and food.
The free, three-day event is presented by Venture Richmond Events, in partnership with the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA), the Virginia Folklife Program, the Center for Cultural Vibrancy, Children’s Museum, and the City of Richmond.
Featuring six stages and showcasing music and dance from more than 30 artists from around the nation and the world, the Richmond Folk Festival is today announcing the first six artists of what will once again be a culturally diverse and impressive program.
“This year more than ever we may find reason to celebrate each other's traditions and cultures,” said Stephen Lecky, director of events at Venture Richmond. “We are looking forward to showcasing downtown Richmond’s riverfront once again for a beautiful weekend of music, food and crafts to provide an open, outdoor, safe space for people to enjoy the Richmond Folk Festival.”
Artists to be featured at the 2021 Richmond Folk Festival include:
Joanie Madden & Cherish the Ladies (Irish)
Yonkers, New YorkMichael Cleveland & Flamekeeper (bluegrass)
Charlestown, IndianaNava Persian Trio (Persian santour)
Albuquerque, New MexicoPlena Es (bomba y plena)
Sunrise, FloridaRare Essence (go-go)
Washington, D.C.Sean Jones “Dizzy Spellz” feat. Brinae Ali (jazz, hip hop, and tap dance)
Baltimore, Maryland
Click here for extended artist bios, plus audio and video samples on our website.
Interactive Scavenger Hunt
From June 18 until Labor Day weekend, the Richmond Folk Festival will offer a scavenger hunt. Those interested can complete it whenever they’d like. It takes an hour or two to complete, and there are two routes from which to choose. Or, for the truly adventurous, it is possible to explore both routes over the summer! The scavenger hunt presents opportunities to notice often-missed public art, learn about history and different cultures, and listen to relevant musical links along the way. Like at the festival, both routes include hills, steps, and uneven ground. Those who successfully complete the festival’s scavenger hunt by Labor Day weekend will be entered in drawings for prizes, with winners selected all summer long! The scavenger hunt runs through September 7.
For all details, please visit our website: https://www.richmondfolkfestival.org/scavhuntintro
Encore Performances on VPM
Every Saturday at 5:00 pm Richmond public radio VPM stations 107.3 FM & 93.1 FM will broadcast favorite performances from the past 13 years of the Richmond Folk Festival as well as the three years the city hosted the National Folk Festival (2005-07). Tune in for great musical memories. Add your favorite artists to your calendar today!
July 3 Bombino
July 10 Jeff Little, Lulo Reinhardt
July 17 Nathalie Pires
July 24 Le Vent du Nord
July 31 Debashish Bhattacharya
Aug 7 Joshua Nelson
Aug 14 Canzoniere Grecanico Salentino
Aug 21 Marcia Ball
Aug 28 Dale Ann Bradley
Sep 4 Lurie Bell, Andes Manta
Sept 11 Amargue Bachata Quintet with Andre Veloz
Sept 18 Ahava Raba with Yanky Lemmer
Sept 25 Sona Jobarteth
Oct 2 Maggie Ingram, Frank Newsome, Paschall Brothers, Clinton Fearon
Festival Hours
Friday, October 8 — 6:30pm - 10:00pm
Saturday, October 9 — 1:00pm - 9:30pm
Sunday, October 10 — 1:00pm - 6:00pm
More information on the festival and additional artists performing this year will follow later this summer as we continue to stay informed and fully aware of CDC and state guidelines for Covid-19 protocol at events. A commitment to safety and adherence to local, state, and federal ordinances and guidelines is crucial.
For more information about the Richmond Folk Festival, visit www.richmondfolkfestival.org. #RVAFolkFest - Text to Give! Text FOLK to 44321
The Richmond Folk Festival is sponsored in part by: Dominion Energy, CoStar Group, Community Foundation, WestRock, CarMax, City of Richmond, Brown Distributing, National Council for Traditional Arts, and the Children’s Museum.
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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/.
Venture Richmond, 200 S. Third Street, Richmond, VA 23219