The North Carolina Folk Fest returned to town at the midpoint of September. At this celebration of distinctive cultures and artistic traditions found in North Carolina, a multitude of artists performed, and various types of food and items were sold on the streets of downtown Greensboro.
The festival featured genres including bluegrass, country, and Latin music. More than 300 performers took the stage during the three-day event, including both adults and students from local high schools.
Zoe Langley, a student at Weaver Academy who has attended this festival for many years, spoke about her experience as a performer, volunteer, and attendee of the festival. Langley is a part of the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra. She plays percussion in the orchestra, which performed on Sunday at the festival.
“It was different from normal performances, because it was so full,” Langley said as she recounted her experience performing on stage. “The crowd was much more engaged.”
Langley also noted the dedication of some of the other performers that she saw.
“Someone was playing a harp for six hours straight,” Langley recalled.
Shan Sarwar, a student at Western Guilford High School, also attended the Folk Fest. This year’s festival was his second time attending. He enjoyed the Too Phat Brass Band.
“The brass carries throughout the entire area, and you could feel it in your chest,” said Sarwar.
Langley and Sarwar said the music performed brought people together, and the liveliness of the event is something unique and special. However, the performances at Folk Fest aren’t the only notable qualities of the celebration. The vendors and food also add to the cultural experience that the festival offers to those who attend.
Vendors sold items ranging from soap and jewelry to voodoo dolls and handmade signs.
“There was a dude selling lamps made out of instruments,” said Langley.
The food gave people the opportunity to have a taste of cultures from all around the world. Food offerings included elotes, or Mexican street corn, empanadas, Jamaican dishes, barbecue, and festival staples like funnel cake and kettle corn. Vendors were selling Jamaican food, while others were selling BBQ. There were also more typical festival foods, such as funnel cake or kettle corn.
“All the vendors were mainly on one road, but the food trucks had their own area,” Sarwar said.
The Folk Fest’s celebration of culture isn’t new. It goes back to 1934 with the foundation of the National Folk Festival by Sarah Gertrude Knott. This festival aimed to bring a multicultural celebration of traditions to light in a time when minorities faced great opposition. It would continue to grow in relevance as time passed, and some people who performed at this event became legendary.
In 2015, the festival was brought to Greensboro. It was held until 2017 when the festival switched from the National Folk Fest to the North Carolina Folk Fest. The switch was fitting because of the historical relevance that Downtown Greensboro holds with the Sit-In that took place at Woolworth’s in 1960 and other events that sought to combat discrimination, which aligned with what the National Folk Fest aimed to do.
The North Carolina Folk Festival drew 150,000 visitors this year, celebrating the diversity of cultures and traditions. It has become a tradition that Greensboro looks forward to each year.
