Festival Focus

Winners Named in 2025 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2025 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 24 and 25 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article and to view videos of the New Folk Concerts.]

SolarFest Songwriter Showcase Applications Due June 1

SolarFest -- slated for August 8-10, 2025 in Brandon, Vermont -- hosts a Singer-Songwriter Showcase. It’s free to enter and open to all artists who write and perform original music and are not currently signed to a major recording label. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Finalists Named in 2025 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Twenty-four songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2025 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among 1,118 entries from around the world, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 24 and 25, as part of the first weekend of the 53rd annual Kerrville Folk Festival. Ten finalists also have been recently selected as finalists in the Al Johnson Performing Songwriter Contest that is held in conjunction with the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival the previous weekend. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

South Florida Folk & Acoustic Music Festival Set for Jan. 31-Feb. 2

The annual South Florida Folk & Acoustic Music Festival returns to Davie, Florida's Bergeron Rodeo Grounds, Friday-Sunday, January 31-February 2, 2025. Presented by the nonprofit South Florida Folk & Acoustic Music Club, the festival will feature performances by more than 40 artists/acts, a singer-songwriter competition, and a wide array of jam sessions and workshops. All festival activities will take place under cover. Discounted tickets are available online until 6 p.m. on January 26. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

The Honey Badgers Emerge Victorious

The Honey Badgers was named the winner following the Emerging Artist Showcase at the 2024 Susquehanna Folk Festival in York, Pennsylvania on Saturday, August 10. The Newark, Delaware-based folk and Americana duo of Erin Magnin and Michael Schutz Natrin was afforded the opportunity to open that evening for Hot Club of Cowtown at the Capitol Theatre and received a $1,000 cash prize. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Philadelphia Folk Festival is Back, Aug. 16-18

The Philadelphia Folk Festival returns to the historic Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, near bucolic Schwenksville, Pennsylvania, August 16-18, following a hiatus in 2023. Thousands of music lovers are expected to converge on the farm, located some 45 minutes from Philadelphia, for the 61st edition of the family-friendly event that is produced and presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, a nonprofit arts organization. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article previewing the festival.]

Susquehanna Folk Festival Set for August 9-11

Natalie MacMaster & Donnell Leahy, Hot Club of Cowtown and The Klezmatics headline the annual Susquehanna Folk Festival that that takes place at downtown York, Pennsylvania’s Appell Center, August 9-11. Although the festival’s matinee and evening concerts –- as well as contra and swing dances -- are ticketed, much of its daytime programming (which includes live music, an emerging artist showcase, jams, and family-friendly activities) is free. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article previewing the festival.]
Winners Named in 2024 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Winners Named in 2024 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Six singer-songwriters have been named as winners in the 2024 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 25 and 26 as part of the Kerrville Folk Festival, an 18-day event at the Quiet Valley Ranch in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Finalists Named in 2024 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Twenty-four songwriters have been named as finalists in the 2024 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters. Chosen from among a record-breaking 1341 entries, the finalists will perform the two songs they submitted on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, May 25 and 26, as part of the first weekend of the 52nd annual Kerrville Folk Festival. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Entries Sought for Emerging Artist Showcase at 2024 Susquehanna Folk Festival

Up-and-coming roots musicians who would like an opportunity to showcase their talents during this summer’s Susquehanna Folk Festival in York, Pennsylvania have until April 19 to submit application for the event’s Emerging Artist Showcase at the Appell Center on Saturday, August 10, 2024. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article.]

Entries Sought in 2024 Kerrville New Folk Competition

Entries are now being accepted in the 2024 Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters, to be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 25 and 26, 2024, during the first weekend of the annual Kerrville Folk Festival in the Texas Hill Country near Austin and San Antonio. The first 800 entries received by March 15 will be judged, and 24 finalists will be named in mid-April. [Click on the headline to continue reading this article that also includes information about a New Folk Concert Series tour and the initial festival lineup.]

Black Bear Americana Music Fest Set for Oct. 6-8, 2023 in Goshen, Connecticut

The Black Bear Americana Music Festival returns to the Goshen Fairgrounds in Goshen, Connecticut for a fifth year, October 6-8, 2023. Dozens of national touring artists and local New England-based ones will perform on several stages, while music and art workshops are also on the docket. [Click on the headline to continue reading this festival preview.]