59th Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival August 13-16, 2020

JOIN US ON THE FARM OR ONLINE

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Join us at the
60th Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival
In Person OR Digitally!

IN PERSON TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

DIGITAL TICKETS ON SALE NOW!

The Philadelphia Folksong Society is thrilled to announce that the 60th edition of the Philadelphia Folk Festival will take place Aug 18-22, 2022 on the Old Pool Farm in beautiful Upper Salford Township, PA. And yes, you read that correctly – this Festival goes until MONDAY AUGUST 22ND BECAUSE CAMPING HAS BEEN APPROVED! The PFS Staff & Board of Directors looks forward to reconnecting with our community as we celebrate this historical event, in person and online.

As we celebrate this milestone in the Festival’s history, we are excited to return to our roots and core values. This August, Fest will be a celebration of all that festers hold dear, our community. This includes family camping, live music on our famous stages, plus community based performers and vendors.

This year, PFS has engaged North Carolina based production company Midwood Entertainment to produce the show. Midwood Entertainment has a history of producing festivals and shows in North America and we are thrilled to have their team and experience bring a fresh perspective to all aspects of Fest. This includes new volunteer roles, fee structures, stage changes, camping rules, and a general overall code of conduct that the society has crafted. Tickets and performer announcements will be coming soon from Midwood Entertainment, in the meantime mark the dates and tell your friends!

The Folksong Society has long held the community as a shining example of our value system, and this year, we have updated our PFS member Code of Conduct as well as our Volunteer Code of Conduct to reflect this shift. Folk music has historically been inclusionary at all levels and by nature brings community together. It has often been a part of movements for social and political change, and we, at PFS, feel it is time for another leap forward. To that end, we have placed our Code of Conduct on the PFS and PFF websites. All members, volunteers, performers, industry and ticket holders are expected to adhere to this code year round, not just during the Festival.

The family at the Old Pool Farm is excited for our return and so are we!! All active 59th Fest tickets will be honored. STAY TUNEd for ticketing, volunteer opportunities, an astounding lineup, all we’re doing to keep our community safe and healthy at the Old Pool Farm, how to watch online, and so much more.

In just a few short months we’ll be able to say: WELCOME HOME!

Become a PFS Member to enjoy all member benefits, including news and advance ticket purchasing opportunities and exclusive members only discounts. Be part of our PFS community by becoming a member, and watch our monthly concerts from the PFF archives! Join here today: https://pfs.org/join-pfs-today/

 

ABOUT the PHILADELPHIA FOLK FESTIVAL:

Presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, the Philadelphia Folk Festival is the longest continuously run outdoor music festival in North America. Founded in 1962, the 60th Annual Philadelphia Folk  Festival occurs August 18-22 2022 at the Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford Township, PA. Join us in person or live stream from home, via folkfest.org. Follow PFF on facebook and instagram @PhiladelphiaFolkFestival and on twitter @folkPhilly.

 

ABOUT the PHILADELPHIA FOLKSONG SOCIETY:

Founded in 1957, The non-profit Philadelphia Folksong Society offers programs of presentation, participation, and education throughout Greater Philadelphia and the nation year round and contributes to the preservation of a vast variety of musical styles and historical perspectives. PFS has acquired international recognition and local acclaim through popular programs such as the Philadelphia Folk Festival. Follow PFS on facebooktwitter and instagram at @folksongsociety

The Legacy of The Philadelphia Folk Festival

The story of the Philadelphia Folk Festival starts with one of the most overused clichés in the world: ‘It was a cold and rainy night.’ You saw Pete Seeger’s breath before you heard his voice when he took the stage and the Philadelphia Folk Festival made its debut on an end-of-summer evening in 1962. Since that very first Festival, and every year since, we have delighted in presenting superstars and rising stars alike.

This year, we are thrilled to announce our partnership with Mountain View Staging to present the 59th Annual Festival as a fully digital interactive musical experience, complete with multiple streams of curated music, fully integrated chat features, campfire open mics, Zoom campsites, craft show, food and merchandise tents, and above all else: the invaluable sense of community and connectivity that comes from the shared experience of enjoying music together. This shift to a digital experience dashes geographical constraints and opens our doors in a new way, welcoming in our Global family.

Since that very first Festival, and every year since, we have delighted in presenting superstars and rising stars alike, inviting discovery and just sharing what we love by creating a safe space for our folk family to gather together. ‘Fest’ is a place where everyone is welcome and you will never meet a stranger. There is something so magical about what happens when a group of people come together with a unified spirit.

About PFS/PFF

Founded in 1957 by a small group of folk artists and enthusiasts, the Philadelphia Folksong Society is a 501c3 nonprofit organization dedicated to to preserving the past, promoting the present, and securing the future of folk music and related forms of expression through education, presentation, and participation. The Society offers programs that present cultural history and provide enjoyment to tens thousands of people of all ages while preserving a vast variety of musical styles and historical perspectives. Its beloved landmark event the Philadelphia Folk Festival launched in 1962 and has gone on to become the oldest, continuously run outdoor music festival in all of North America. The Festival has earned a reputation for world-class programming, annually presenting both emerging artists and well-known talent that actively seeks to broaden public interaction with folk music that resides outside of typical perceptions of the genre. Now in its 59th year, the Festival responded to the global pandemic that devastated the music industry not by cancelling, but by pivoting the event to a fully interactive digital music experience that can by accessed by our core audience of four generations of festgoers in addition to music lovers around the world!

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