Lowell Folk Festival 2010, Schedule, Lineup, Travel Info & Directions

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Lowell Folk Festival
Fast Facts

When : Friday evening July 23 thru Sunday, July 25, 2010

Where : downtown Lowell, Massachusetts

Directions : By car, northbound Route 495 (Exit 35C) or southbound Route 3 (Exit 30A) to Thorndike Street (Exit 5B). Follow National Park Visitor Center signs into downtown Lowell.

Public Transportation: commuter rail service is available from Boston's North Station to Lowell's Gallagher Terminal. Lowell Regional Transit Authority shuttles run between Gallagher Terminal and downtown Lowell every half hour.

The last full weekend in July is the traditional date for the Lowell Folk Festival, which has run every year since it first began in 1990.

Like many music festivals that dot the country, the Lowell Folk Festival can trace its beginnings to the National Folk Festival, which Lowell hosted from 1987 until 1989. The National Folk Festival is now a moveable feast nationwide, but in Lowell the love of folk music that the festival had inspired continues to endure.

Today, the Lowell Folk Festival is billed by organizers as being the largest free music festival in the United States, drawing in hundreds of thousands of people from the local area, the country, and beyond.

Every year for the three days that the music festival runs, much of downtown Lowell is transformed in to grounds for the music festival. There are six stages, which host music most of the day, and festival goers are free to wander from stage to stage, taking in whatever music they like.

Food also features prominently at the festival. Local ethnic organizations come together to provide food for the festival, from Asian and Filipino specialties to Jamaican and soul food.

The Lowell Folk Festival is also child friendly. Parents are encouraged to bring their kids to take in the music, and kids can also participate in the family activities or take in the crafts demonstration area.

The Lowell Folk Festival being free, donations and willing volunteers are always encouraged and very much appreciated. In a gesture of the festival organizer's appreciation of those who donate their time and money, the festival awards a scholarship to one deserving youth each year.

More about the Lowell Folk Festival around the Web:

Lowell Folk Festival - The official site with the complete current schedule and list of performers, ethnic food menu, crafts & kids activities, maps & directions, FAQ.

Lowell.com - Lowell Folk Festival - Good overview of the annual event with information on local hotels, restaurants and related Lowell attractions.

Lowell Folk Festival on Flickr - Local scenes and musical performers in a large photo gallery taken at the 2008 festival.

also see -> Big E - Big Eastern States Exposition

Massachusetts Beaches | Massachusetts Fall Foliage

Massachusetts Wineries | Boston Tourist Attractions

Boston Street Fairs & Festivals