Festival Focus
Black Bear Americana Music Fest Set for October 7-9, 2022 in Goshen, Connecticut

Black Bear Americana Music Fest Set for October 7-9, 2022 in Goshen, Connecticut

More than 50 performing artists/acts and lots of live music fans will converge on the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut, October 7-9, 2022 for the fourth annual Black Bear Americana Music Fest. The three-day festival features performances on several stages by Grammy Award-winning national touring artists, local New England-based artists and emerging talents, as well as music and art workshops. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article that includes comments from several of the festival's performing artists.]

July 16: AcousticMusicScene.com Copresents the Huntington Folk Festival

The 16th annual Huntington Folk Festival is set for Saturday, July 16, at Heckscher Park, located off Main Street (Route 25A) and Prime Avenue, in Huntington, New York. Extending from 12 noon-10 p.m., with a dinner break from 5-7:15 p.m., the free event is co-presented by the Huntington Arts Council, Folk Music Society of Huntington and AcousticMusicScene.com as part of the 57th Huntington Summer Arts Festival produced by the Town of Huntington. ‘An Evening with Paula Cole and Sophie B. Hawkins’ will be preceded by a series of amplified showcases and song swaps, along with a musical tribute to Lois Morton and an open mic, during the afternoon. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
New Bedford Folk Festival Set for July 9-10, 2022

New Bedford Folk Festival Set for July 9-10, 2022

After a two-year hiatus, the 25th Annual New Bedford Folk Festival takes place on Saturday and Sunday, July 9-10, 2022. Among the Northeast’s most pleasant, refined and enjoyable music festivals, the family-oriented event takes over the cobblestoned streets of this historic Massachusetts port city –- much of which is part of the Whaling National Historic Park. Visitors will soak in the area’s rich maritime history as they stroll its streets while listening to world-class contemporary and traditional folk music, Americana, blues and Celtic performers under tents set up along them and in the air-conditioned comfort of the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center and the fabulous New Bedford Whaling Museum’s auditorium. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article previewing the festival.]...

Emerging Artist Showcase Performers Chosen for 2022 Falcon Ridge Folk Festival

Fifteen artists/acts have been invited to perform in an abbreviated 2022 Grassy Hill Emerging Artist Showcase during the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival on Friday afternoon, July 29, from noon to 3 p.m. This year’s festival is set for July 29-31 at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut – where A Day of Falcon Ridge took place last year. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Winners Named in 2022 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2022 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. They were chosen by a panel of judges from among 24 finalists who performed two songs each during the New Folk Concerts on May 28 and 29 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]
2022 Kerrville New Folk Finalists Announced

2022 Kerrville New Folk Finalists Announced

Twenty-four songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2022 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among more than 500 submissions from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted at the New Folk Concerts slated for Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 28 and 29, as part of the 50th annual Kerrville Folk Festival. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Applications Open for IBMA World of Bluegrass

Artists interested in showcasing their talents during the 2022 IBMA World of Bluegrass that is slated for September 27-October 1 in Raleigh, North Carolina can now submit applications. Proposals for business conference sessions from artists, educators and industry professionals are also now being accepted, while conference registration opens in April. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Virtual Winterfolk Blues & Roots Festival Set for Feb. 18-20

Winterfolk, Toronto, Ontario’s annual blues and roots festival, will be streamed online, February 18-20, 2022 from 7-10 p.m. EST all three nights. As was the case last year, the COVID-19 pandemic has prompted festival organizers to pivot to an online event. The scaled-back virtual edition of the popular festival, now in its 20th year, will feature primarily Canadian artists. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article, which includes comments from several of the free festival's featured artists.]

Celtic Classic Returns to Bethlehem, PA, Sept. 24-26

The 2021 Celtic Classic highland games & festival is set for Friday-Sunday, September 24-26 in downtown Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Presented by the nonprofit Celtic Cultural Alliance, the free annual event is a celebration of the Irish, Scottish and Welsh cultures and heritage and will feature five stages of continuous entertainment – including traditional Celtic music, Celtic rock and folk. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Music Festival Impresario George Wein, 1925-2021

Music festival impresario George Wein, founder of the Newport Folk & Jazz Festivals and the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, died September 13 in his New York City apartment. The noted pianist, producer and promoter was 95. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

2021 Celtic Roots Virtual Festival Streams Online, Aug. 6 & 7

For more than a quarter of a century, lovers of Celtic music, crafts and culture have gathered each August at a park along the shores of Lake Huron in Goderich, Ontario for the Goderich Celtic Roots Festival. Like a number of other music festivals forced to cancel or postpone over the past 17 months due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the festival’s organizers have arranged an online festival in its place. Featuring pre-recorded musical performances and live hosts, the 2021 Celtic Roots Virtual Festival will stream on Friday, August 6 from 7-11 p.m. EDT and on Saturday, August 7, from 1-5 p.m. EDT. [Click on the headline to continue reading about this virtual festival and a few workshops that precede it.]

Falcon Ridge Folk Festival Goes Hybrid for a Day – July 31

After going completely virtual last year in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival has adopted a hybrid model for its 33rd year and will be considerably shorter than in previous years. A one-day only festival with full pandemic precautions and both socially distanced in-person and livestream options is set for Saturday, July 31, 2021 at the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]