Today, the Lowell Festival Foundation announced that the 35th Anniversary Lowell Folk Festival, a staple cultural event of the region since its inception in 1987, will take place in person on July 29, 30, and 31. The 2022 festival will feature close to 20 performing groups sharing their unique musical traditions on stages throughout downtown Lowell. The Lowell Folk Festival attracts more than 150,000 people for three days of music, food, and art.
The festival site has evolved over the last three decades, and this year, festival organizers will bring more elements closer to downtown, consolidating the footprint. The festival’s dance stage will move to Arcand Drive, with an adjacent food court on JFK Plaza, including many fan-favorite multicultural community food vendors. The Market Street Stage will be larger and placed on the street itself. This new stage will feature blues, polka, and Cajun bands. This area will also boast a food court, in Market Street Park. These changes are designed to improve the audience experience while simultaneously keeping the festival within the vibrant downtown neighborhood.
This is the first time the event will take place since 2019, after a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Festival planners hope this year’s event will mark a new chapter in the region’s recovery from the pandemic, providing a stimulus to tourism and local businesses.
“There’s a lot of excitement to bring this festival back to Lowell,” says Art Sutcliffe, chairman of the Lowell Festival Foundation. “This festival does a lot of good for the people and businesses of Lowell, and we’re thrilled to bring it back for them.”
Nonprofit community food vendors will serve traditional dishes representing over a dozen different cultures. In the Folk Craft Area, the theme is Crafting Sound: Making & Restoring Musical Instruments, which will feature demonstrations playing and building the instruments. The Foodways Area will explore comfort foods from an array of communities.
More details about the festival, including the lineup of artists, will be announced in the coming weeks. Visit https://lowellfolkfestival.org/ or https://www.facebook.com/LowellFolkFestival to stay up to date on all future updates for the 35th Lowell Folk Festival in 2022.
The Lowell Folk Festival is produced by the Lowell Festival Foundation, the City of Lowell, Lowell National Historical Park, the National Council for the Traditional Arts, the Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, and the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.
