photo: Native American woman dancing

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A Continued Celebration

The Richmond Folk Festival is a continuation of the hugely successful National Folk Festival that was held in Richmond from 2005 through 2007. The oldest multi-cultural traditional arts celebration in the nation, the National Folk Festival has been celebrating the roots, richness and variety of American culture through music, dance, traditional craft and food since 1934.

Germinating festivals of their own is part of the mission of the National Folk Festival, hence the reason for its three-year stay in select cities. Of the six cities that preceded Richmond as host for the National Folk Festival — Lowell, Massachusetts; Chattanooga, Tennessee; Dayton, Ohio; East Lansing, Michigan; and Bangor, Maine — only one no longer has its own event, Chattanooga’s Southern Folk Festival failed after two years due to lack of funding.

A Community Effort

More than 1200 people volunteered their time last year to the National Folk Festival, coming from all across Virginia and even as far as Maine and Canada. More than 20 local businesses gave sponsorship dollars to pay for this 1.4 million dollar event, which assured FREE admission to attendees. Without this support, this great event would never happen. The 2008 Richmond Festival will require just as many volunteers and even more community support than before. So far the festival has acquired more than half of the necessary volunteers and more than 30 community sponsors and partners including Stage Sponsors/Major Contributors: Comcast, The Community Foundation, Dominion, Genworth Foundation, NewMarket Corporation, PhillipMorrisUSA, Richmond Times-Dispatch, SunTrust, Ukrop’s/First Market Bank, Wachovia/Wachovia Securities.

Unique Performer Tidbits

Did you know…

  • Dan Tyminski performs with Alison Krauss and was the voice for George Clooney when he sang “Man of Constant Sorrow” in the movie, O Brother Where Art Thou
  • E.U. is one of the BEST go-go groups on the East Coast and the only one to score a #1 hit record with their song “Da Butt”
  • Dale Watson has a huge local following right here in Richmond
  • Howard Tate is on a comeback tour. He’s been away from the stage for 30 years and we get to be part of his soul revival (this is a large band with horns!)
  • San Jose Taiko are driving from San Jose, California in order to bring their 6 ft drum!
  • Larry Bland and the Volunteer Choir are from right here in Richmond. It is their 40th anniversary and they will be playing in honor of the late Richard Parker
  • Nukariik perform Inuit throat singing. Part music, part game, the two sisters face each other and sing until one of them giggles
  • Kentucky thumb-picked guitar duo, Eddie & Alonzo Pennington, are a father and son team – and Dad Eddie worked as an undertaker for many years when not playing guitar
  • Nadeem Dlaikan of Nadeem Dlaikan & Friends, who will perform Arabic music and dance, is a NEA National Heritage Fellow and master builder of the Lebanese nye, or reed flute.
  • Sharde Thomas is a hip 18-year-old that leads the very last performing group of African-American fife and drum musicians, a tradition that dates back to Colonial America.
  • The Itals are the first reggae band to be featured at this festival!
  • Lee Sexton of The Lee Sexton Band is almost 90 years old!
  • James Cheechoo is one of the last Cree fiddlers in his home town of Moose Factory, Ontario. This is his first trip to the U.S.

Richmond Folk Festival GOES GREEN!

Everywhere you turn at this year’s Richmond Folk Festival, festival-goers will be able to help our environment. For the first time this year recycling is available throughout the festival site.  From glass to plastic to paper, you can place it in a bin for reuse.  Also, food vendors at this year’s festival are using recyclable serving products.  Many are using containers created from corn, sugar and potatoes that have been formed into sturdy serving platters, cups and utensils that allow them to completely biodegrade.

We are fortunate to have a wonderful volunteer core from Benedictine High School serving as our official GREEN TEAM at the Richmond Folk Festival.  They will assist in making sure all products are placed in the correct containers to help us GO GREEN!

Also, all compost created by the Richmond Folk Festival will be used at Tuckahoe Plantation as a crop fertilizer.

Ukrop's First Market Bank