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.

Mary Barnett says, “I became a ‘Friend of the Festival’ without hesitation! I plan my whole year around the Richmond Folk Festival, and that is no kind of exaggeration. It truly is Richmond at its finest: people are happy, kind, patient, and having a great time!

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

At the 2023 Virginia Folklife Area, all eyes and ears are on Bristol 

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."

Like an angel in human form. That’s how renowned composer Terry Riley describes Hindustani (North Indian) classical violinist Kala Ramnath.

One of our favorite festival traditions is working with artists to produce the official festival poster. Each year we’re amazed at the incredible vision and talent that each individual brings to their images. This year is no different!

New Directions

Change is in the air for the Richmond Folk Festival's Virginia Folklife Area. The stage has a new sponsor, the Center for Cultural Vibrancy, and it, along with the crafts area, has moved to a different location on festival grounds.

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.

It's not uncommon for listeners to hear Fran Grace play the steel guitar and come away completely unaware that she's performing religious music. And that's just fine with her.

This year the Virginia Folklife Area returns with “MASK,” featuring the astonishing Mongolian masks and ceremonial costumes and dance of Arlington, Virginia, resident Gankhuyag “Ganna” Natsag.

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.

Jasmine Bell’s dance starts with a single hoop that she twirls as she spins herself around, her feet keeping rhythm to the beat of a drum. Soon, the hoop encircles her as she seamlessly passes through it and picks it up with her feet.

"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.

Mother-daughter duo Emily and Martha Spencer return to the festival with their mountain music legacy in good hands
A native of Arlington, Virginia, Emily Spencer planted roots deep in the Appalachian mountains after marrying into one of the region’s most revered musical families.

The Richmond Folk Festival proudly presents All Together Now, a two-part television program celebrating Virginia artists, to be aired on VPM Plus on Saturday, October 10 and Sunday, October 11, 2021 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm.

Although we won’t be dancing and celebrating in person this year, the show will go on “virtually” with new musical performances that are exclusive to this festival, highlights of favorite artists from past festivals, cooking demonstrations, fun family activities, and so much more!

And what would a Folk Festival be without it’s highly sought-after poster?

It’s a tough time to be a musician in New Orleans. Fortunately, New Orleans musicians are tough and there aren’t many tougher than Walter “Wolfman” Washington.

Washington, an ambassador of New Orleans funk and R&B and one of the city’s most celebrated entertainers, first made a name for himself in the city’s hugely influential music scene before he turned 20. That was more than 50 years ago. Throughout the ensuing half century, he’s seen New Orleans through good times and bad.

As you probably know, this year will be very different for us. We will not have our large on-site Festival on the banks of the James River as we have the past 15 years. COVID-19 has been a serious blow to our plans and we know you have likely been impacted as well.

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.

For the safety of our patrons, volunteers, artists and staff due to the unpredictable and ongoing threat posed by the spread of COVID-19, and in accordance with our government officials’ phased approach to group gatherings, we have made the very difficult decision to cancel the 2020 Richmond Folk Festival.

Many performers come from a family of musicians; yet, few can claim a musical legacy as distinguished as Balla Kouyaté. The balafon player, who hails from Mali but now resides outside of Boston, is the heir to an 800-year-old musical tradition that was originally bestowed upon his family to steward and protect by a king, and has been subsequently handed down from father to son for centuries.

You’ve probably seen them in action, those folks in the brightly-colored shirts asking you to make a “drop in the bucket,” serving you beer or cleaning up with the Green Team. Many more are behind the scenes, logging music, helping with site set-up or working backstage.