Although most folk festivals in the U.S. happen outdoors during the summertime, at least two take place indoors on Florida’s respective coasts in January 2011: 30A Songwriters Festival and South Florida Folk Fest.

Produced by the Cultural Arts Association of Walton County and now in its second year, the 30A Songwriters Festival takes places at various venues on Scenic Highway 30A along Northwest Florida’s Panhandle Gulf Coast over the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend, Jan. 14-16.

A mix of established touring artists, talented local songwriters and emerging talents are included in the festival’s line-up. Among the dozens of artists slated to perform are such notable singer-songwriters as Randall Bramblett, Susan Cowsill, Rodney Crowell, Ashleigh Flynn, Jen Foster, Mary Gauthier, Madison Violet, Michelle Malone, Laurie McClain (who was among my favorite new discoveries during the 2010 NERFA Conference), Carmel Mikol, Louise Mosrie, Shawn Mullins, David Olney, Gretchen Peters, Vicki Peterson of The Bangles, Suzi Ragsdale, Kim Richardson, Lucy Wainwright Roche, Emily Saliers of Indigo Girls, Vienna Teng, Reed Waddle and Dar Williams. Tickets, priced at $75, can be purchased online at wwww.30aSongwritersFestival.com or at Central Square Records in Seaside, FL.

The Broward Folk Club, a nonprofit organization created more than 20 years ago to promote folk and acoustic music and provide a community for people who share a love for it, hosts the South Florida Folk Fest on Jan. 22. It is slated to run from noon to 6 p.m. in the grand ballroom of the Sunrise Civic Center on West Oakland Park Blvd. in Sunrise, FL. A two-hour open mic will precede the fest.

A variety of factors, ranging from weather to finances, prompted organizers two years ago to scale back what had been a multi-stage festival to a one-day “Round-Up” featuring a number of singer-songwriters who had not previously played South Florida. For 2011, the club is seeking to bring back much of the tradition and essence of the old festival by featuring artists who have been either headliners or singer-songwriter contest winners from 1999 forward. Featured artists, each of whom will perform 40-minute sets, are Nick Annis, Ellen Bukstel, Greg Greenway, Rod MacDonald, Dave Nachmanoff, Carla Ulbrich and Bill Ward. Admission is $35 at the door; $25 for club members, and $5 less in advance. Children 16 and under will be admitted free. More information appears online at www.southfloridafolkfest.net.