The 61st Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival Returns Aug. 16-18 At The Old Pool Farm
It’s back!
After a one-year hiatus, the Philadelphia Folk Festival will return on August 16-18 at the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, Pennsylvania.
The 61st annual event has been beloved for decades since its humble beginnings in 1962 at Wilson Farm near Paoli, Pennsylvania, where Pete Seeger performed and set the stage for monumental moments in folk music history.
The festival and the Philadelphia Folksong Society have overcome tremendous challenges over the past few years to keep the folk spirit alive and bring the festival back. This year, the festival is marking its return as one of the preeminent music festivals in the world.
After a historic year in 2019, which saw performances by David Crosby, Amanda Shires, and Margo Price on the Martin Guitar Main Stage, the festival went online only in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
During that time, the Philadelphia folk community mourned the loss of radio host and festival host Gene Shay in 2020, who served as the godfather of the festival for many years.
However, the love of music and the festival kept the beat going for the board of directors and volunteers that comprise the Philadelphia Folksong Society and the Philadelphia Folk Festival.
Organizers worked hard to bring back the magic for the festival’s 60th birthday in 2022, featuring bands like Michael Franti and Spearhead and Hiss Golden Messenger on the main stage. However, they had to cancel the 2023 festival to regroup and restructure, leading to its triumphant return in 2024.
Kimberly Sinclair, the artistic and marketing director for the Philadelphia Folk Festival, recently used a natural analogy to describe the festival’s retooling for an interview for The High Note podcast.
“The good ship Philly Folk Fest had been in the waters for 60 years, had never been taken to dry dock,” she said. “It never had a fresh coat of paint. The barnacles were never scraped off. It was a little leaky, you know, after 60 years, you need some maintenance.”
As fresh and new as a 60-year-old festival can be, there is nothing on earth quite like it.
The Philadelphia Folk Festival is a must-attend event for music lovers in the tri-state region. It attracts more than 30,000 visitors, including over 7,000 campers, and offers three days of music on seven stages.
With established and emerging musicians, the festival is a melting pot of musical discovery spread among an 84-acre working farm.
Headliners this year include John Oates, Gangstagrass, Tony Trischka performing his EarlJam – A Tribute to Earl Scruggs, AJ Lee, Crys Matthews, Dave Gunning, Jonathan Byrd, The Secret Sisters, and John Flynn, among many others.
And that’s just who is on the Martin Guitar Main Stage. In addition to that, there are workshops, showcases, symposiums, contra dancing, and even yoga. For kids, there are plenty of interactive experiences, including juggling, crafts, puppet shows, and the opportunity to perform in the Great Groove Band.
Outside of the festival gates, the campground becomes a pop-up city for the weekend, featuring incredible setups where attendees can expect to see everything from swimming pools to string bands and, of course, a lot more music. I’ve seen people playing full drum kits and upright basses.
This vagabond community blends seamlessly with the local community in Montgomery County – from the Skippack Lions Club, which provides food in the campground, to the Upper Salford Fire Company, which sells food on the hill, to what is always the highlight of my festival food tour – the Pancake Break-Fest hosted by the Lower Frederick Fire Company.
There is always a big smiling banjo on my musical calendar each year during the third weekend in August, thanks to the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Rain or shine, I always come away finding my new favorite artist, making new friends, some of whom have lasted for more than a decade, and having an incredible story to tell for the readers and listeners of The High Note.
Just like one of my favorite songs, “The Mary Ellen Carter” by Stan Rogers, there was no doubt that the Philadelphia Folk Festival would rise again. I’ll see you on the hill.
For tickets and volunteering information, see FolkFest.org.
Happy Fest!
