Philadelphia Folk Festival

The Philadelphia Folk Festival is a folk music festival held annually at Old Pool Farm in Upper Salford, Pennsylvania, just outside of Philadelphia.[1] The hosting organization, the Philadelphia Folksong Society announced a pause in production, cancelling the 2023 festival for the first time in its 50 year history.[2]

Philadelphia Folk Festival
GenreFolk, Country, Blues, Folk rock
Datesfour days on the third week of August
Location(s)Upper Salford Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Years active1962-2022
WebsiteOfficial website

The four-night, three-day festival, which is produced and run by the non-profit Philadelphia Folksong Society and staffed almost entirely by volunteers.[3]

The event hosts contemporary and traditional artists in genres under the umbrella of Folk, including World/Fusion, Celtic, Singer/Songwriter, Folk Rock, Country, Klezmer, Blues, Bluegrass, Hip/Hop, Spoken Word, Storytelling, and Dance.

Gene Shay[4] and folklorist Kenneth S. Goldstein[5] founded the festival, along with George Britton, Bob Seigel, David Baskin, Esther Halpern, and others. Shay acted as Master of Ceremonies since its inception until shortly before his death and Goldstein served as Program Director for the first 15 years.[6]

Originally held on Wilson Farm in Paoli, Pennsylvania,[7] each year the event hosts over 35,000 visitors and nearly 7,000 campers at the Old Pool Farm.[8] The event presents over 75 hours of music with local, regional, and national talent on its stages. A special Camp Stage show takes place on Thursday night, hosted by WXPN radio for the nationally syndicated World Cafe with David Dye.[8]

The Philadelphia Folksong Society presents the Philadelphia Folk Festival and has a full-time, year-round staff.[9] The most recent PFS Executive Director, Justin Nordell, served in that capacity from 2007-2023, while past E.D.s include Lauri Barish and Levi Landis.

This festival went online in 2020 and 2021, raising over $200,000 to support artists out of work, as live concerts were cancelled caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Festival returned as a hybrid and in-person live event for 2022.

See also

References
  1. "Philadelphia Folk Festival Archives - Page 4 of 4 - The Key". The Key. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  2. "The Philadelphia Folk Festival is canceled this year due to long-standing financial struggles". The Philadelphia Inquirer. 9 February 2023. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  3. "Philadelphia Folk Festival - Philadelphia Folksong Society". Philadelphia Folksong Society. Retrieved 2016-05-05.
  4. "Philly folk giant, former radio DJ Gene Shay dies at 85 from the coronavirus". WHYY. 18 April 2020. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  5. Pareles, Jon (15 November 1995). "Kenneth S. Goldstein Dies at 68; Folklore Teacher and Collector". Retrieved 18 December 2017 – via NYTimes.com.
  6. "Philadelphia Folk Festival: A Short History", That Music Magazine.
  7. "When the Philadelphia Folk Festival Was Held in Paoli" Tredyffrin Easttown Historical Society History Quarterly Digital Archives.
  8. "Folk On Folk: Ian Zolitor of WXPN’s Folk Show recaps the Philadelphia Folk Fest", The Key, WXPN.
  9. "Philadelphia Folk Festival", Visit Philadelphia.
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