Brooklyn Folk Festival is back this fall for its 14th anniversary. This year’s lineup will include Bonnie “Prince” Billy making his BFF debut, and returning folk fest favorites Amythyst Kiah, Nora Brown, Jerron Blindboy Paxton and more.
The festival will not only include musical performances but also workshops, film premiers, dances, curated NYC cuisine, their world-famous Banjo Toss contest and many more interactive events. There will be a special memorial tribute to the musician, artist, filmmaker, photographer and festival founder John Cohen called, “All This is a Record of My Search: John Cohen at 90.”
The festival is curated by folklorist, musician, host of the Brooklyn Folk Festival and producer Eli Smith The festival is the largest yearly production of the non-profit group, Jalopy Theatre and School of Music.
“This 14th annual Brooklyn Folk Festival promises to be a truly special event as we expand the scope of the programming and welcome home favorite performers from the history of the festival,” says Smith. “This year we expect a powerful array of sounds, with music from a huge diversity of genres including Blues, Folk, Jug Band, Old Time, Honky Tonk, Trad Jazz, Ragtime, Children’s Music, Salsa, music from Peru, China, Ukraine, Mexico and more!”
To open the annually sold-out festival will be the Ukrainian Village Voices who will be performing traditional Ukrainian vocal performances. 17-year-old Nora Brown will also make an appearance, performing her new album on Jalopy Records. Kentucky-natives Brett Ratliff and Clinton Davis will be showing off a more traditional side of folk with their old-time banjo performance.
The 14th annual festival is produced in collaboration by the non-profit Jalopy Theatre & School of Music. For the 4th year in a row the festival will take place at St. Ann & the Holy Trinity Church, built in 1844 it’s a National Historic Landmark. The backdrop of the Gothic Revival architecture and the ornamented roofs and windows of the church only enhance the performances at the festival.
The Festival will take place in the main hall, while the workshops, film screenings and the square dance will be held in the side hall and upstairs rooms of the church. Food, drink and retail vendors will be on-site and highlight the diversity of NYC’s food culture.
The Brooklyn Folk Festival will be from Oct, 21 – 23 at 157 Montague St. For more information, visit brooklynfolkfest.com.
