Greensboro prepares for its celebration of all things Folk

NC Folk Fest
Sept. 6-8, downtown Greensboro
ncfolkfestival.com

In the heart of Downtown Greensboro, museums and shop owners will open their doors to the sounds of electrifying piano keys and soulful voices. Restaurants along Elm Street, concocting on-theme cocktails and their September dinner specials, will harmonize with the smells of local food trucks that line the streets surrounding Center City and LeBauer Parks. The Amtrak brakes will melodize to the strums of bluesy guitars, and the sound of congas will beat as locals and patrons from across the state and region make their way from houses and hotels throughout the city.

 In its 10th Anniversary year, the North Carolina Folk Festival is planning Greensboro’s most vibrant block party yet.

The NC Folk Festival, which runs Sept. 6-8, showcases a diverse range of traditional cultures through music, craft, dance, and food. This year’s music headliners include Grammy award winning “Texican Rock-n-Roll” group Los Lonely Boys, two-time Grammy nominee War and Treaty, and North Carolina’s own Bluegrass quartet, Mipso.

Both the festival and the city of Greensboro are eager for visitors to know how encompassing folk really is.

“The definition of ‘folk’ is so broad. It’s not just people with banjos, although the festival definitely brings that,” laughs Sarah Lanse, the Director of Marketing for the Greensboro Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“The festival’s website describes folk as, ‘The creative expression of communities of people and the ways in which their traditions are shared or communicated,’” she continues.

“It means community. All communities. For the longest time, I thought of folk as Bluegrass, and it’s so much more than that. It’s our cultural history, Greensboro’s history.”

The free, three-day event features more than 300 artists on multiple stages, continuous performances, local and international food trucks, a makers and artists marketplace and, this year, incorporating an even wider footprint of downtown Greensboro, pre- and post-festival party stages.

In the 10 years since Greensboro began hosting, NC Folk Festival reports bringing over 1 million people to downtown, with an economic impact of over $200 million for the city and its residents.

“It’s such an experience for everyone that comes,” Lanse says, “and it generates so much revenue for our city and for our local business owners.”

The festival not only highlights its national talent headliners, it also embraces a theme of community and diverse tradition by collaborating with vendors and businesses from across the Greensboro area.

Festival attendees can begin their weekend of cultural exploration by learning about some of Greensboro’s history at the center of the struggle for individual rights and freedoms. Both the International Civil Rights Center and Museum and the Greensboro History Museum are within the festival grounds.

“Several years ago, the Greensboro History Museum set up a booth with antique wooden toys and crafts that kids could play with and explore,” Lanse says of the history museum’s previous festival displays. “My kids were fascinated; I couldn’t pull them away.”

Encouraging festival attendees to bring their families for the weekend, an area in LeBauer Park will be set up with educational and engaging hands-on activities for children and families, with games and crafts from partner organizations across Greensboro, conveniently located within walking distance of the Miriam P. Brenner Children’s Museum.

“We want people to come for the festival and to stay because of all of the wonderful ways you can enjoy different cultures in Greensboro,” Lanse explains.

The NC Folk Festival is encouraging attendees to immerse themselves in the city’s attractions for the weekend, offering discounted hotels with free transport to and from the festival, and free bus fare on all Greensboro city bus routes for three days. Festival goers can also enter a giveaway through the end of July that offers a two night luxury stay, Amtrak tickets, VIP access to the festival, and more.

“It’s such a great opportunity for both the community and region to see what amazing things Greensboro has to offer.” Lanse says. “A free event with Grammy winners and Grand Ole Opry performers, dancing, history, incredible food at the festival and throughout the city. There really is something here for everyone to enjoy.”

For more information and to enter the NC Folk Festival VIP Experience, visit visitgreensboronc.com/about-us/blog/folk-festival-itinerary.aspx