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.
We’re excited to have the incredible Richmond-based artist, Chris Visions, handling the illustration duties for this year’s Folk Festival poster. You may have seen the many gorgeous murals he’s been commissioned to paint around town. In 2023, he joins an esteemed group of artists that includes Wes Freed, The Night Owl, Chris Milk and Hamilton Glass.
We thought it would be great to ask Chris some questions to learn more about his background and process! This year’s poster will be unveiled
by Don Harrison
The Virginia Folklife Area at this year's Richmond Folk Festival will focus on the mountainous Southwestern border town of Bristol. That means fast cars, ingenious homemade wares, and sweet downhome music.
Andriy Milavsky likes to describe the music of his band, Cheres, as "Carpathian bluegrass."
"It's all from the Carpathian Mountains," says the multi-instrumentalist and bandleader who emigrated to the U.S. from Ukraine in 1991. "Our music is 75% Ukrainian, and we add some Romanian and Hungarian music. I compare it to American bluegrass, which I love, because it's really dusty, folky music."
Nani Noam Vazana first knew Ladino as a language of secrets, spoken by women to each other in the kitchen, whispered by adults to keep information from children, sung softly by her grandmother at bedtime. Also known as Judeo-Spanish, Ladino was forbidden at home by her father, who wanted to leave the past behind.
One of our favorite festival traditions is the specially commissioned poster we release each year to celebrate the artists and traditions that will be hitting our stages. We’re excited to have Mickael Broth, also known as The NightOwl, as this year’s artist. Mickael is well known for the many murals he has painted around town and his involvement in the RVA Street Art Festival.
"Why would we be playing a folk festival?," wondered the founding member of one of Washington D.C.'s preeminent go-go ensembles, which will make a return visit in 2021. "Maybe there was another Rare Essence out there and they booked us by mistake. We thought 'folk' meant acoustic guitars and three people singing 'Kumbaya' around a microphone. But when we got to the festival and heard the other acts, and saw what it was all about, we knew we should be there. They had it 100% right."
Scavenger Hunt and Encore Performances
The Richmond Folk Festival, in partnership with the National Council for Traditional Arts and the City of Richmond, will take place October 8-10, 2021, along Downtown Richmond’s riverfront. And, to get you in that Folk Festival spirit, we are launching two activities in June that will excite and prepare you for a live and in-person festival this fall.
