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Lowell Folk Festival

Lowell Folk Festival
Fast Facts
When : Friday evening 7PM July 27 thru Sunday,
July 29, 2012
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.
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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 almost 200,000 people annually from
the local area, the country, and beyond.
Every year, for the three days
that the music festival runs, much of the historic cobblestone downtown area 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 enjoy 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.
Lowell Folk Festival Lineup
In 2012, watch for the first official lineup of major headliners in mid-June, with the rest of the concert schedule announced as opening day draws near. Generally, the weekend festival kicks-off with a downtown parade on Friday with the first of many performances staged at the Dutton Street Dance Pavilion.
Other festival venues throughout downtown Lowell traditionally include Boarding House Park, JFK Plaza, Market Street, Lee Street, St. Anne's Churchyard, and the corner of John and Merrimack Streets.
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
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Boston
Street Fairs & Festivals
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