A folk festival celebrates traditional
folk crafts and
folk music
Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has ...
. This list includes folk festivals worldwide, except those with only a partial focus on folk music or arts. Folk festivals may also feature
folk dance or ethnic foods.
Handicrafting has long been exhibited at such events and festival-like gatherings, as it has its roots in the
rural crafts. Like folk art, handicraft output often has cultural, political, and/or religious significance. Folk art encompasses art produced from an
indigenous culture or by
peasants or other laboring
tradespeople
A tradesman, tradeswoman, or tradesperson is a skilled worker that specializes in a particular trade (occupation or field of work). Tradesmen usually have work experience, on-the-job training, and often formal vocational education in contrast t ...
. In contrast to
fine art
In European academic traditions, fine art is developed primarily for aesthetics or creative expression, distinguishing it from decorative art or applied art, which also has to serve some practical function, such as pottery or most metalwor ...
, folk art is primarily utilitarian and decorative rather than purely aesthetic, and is often sold at festivals by tradespeople or practicing amateurs.
[West, Shearer (general editor), ''The Bullfinch Guide to Art History'', page 440, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, United Kingdom, 1996. ] As at folk festivals, such art and handicraft may also appear at
historical reenactments and events such as
Renaissance fair
A Renaissance fair, Renaissance faire or Renaissance festival is an outdoor gathering open to the public and typically commercial in nature, which purportedly recreates a historical setting for the amusement of its guests. Some are permanent the ...
s.
Asia
Bangladesh
Dhaka International Folk Fest
India
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Gavari - Sacred Dance Drama Festival
Israel
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Jacob's Ladder
Europe
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Europeade (held each year in a different European country)
Bosnia and Herzegovina
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Ilidža Folk Music Festival
The Ilidža Folk Music Festival ( bs, Festival narodne muzike Ilidža / Фестивал народне музике Илиџa) is the oldest living and premier folk music festival in the Former Yugoslavia. It is held annually in Ilidža, Sarajevo, ...
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Ilidža International Children's Folklore Festival
Belgium
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Boombal Festival
Bulgaria
Stara planina fest Balkan folk
Stara is a village in the administrative district on Gmina Aleksandrów, within Piotrków County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It lies approximately south-west of Aleksandrów, south-east of Piotrków Trybunalski, and south-east of ...
Denmark
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Tønder Festival
Estonia
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Viljandi Folk Festival
__NOTOC__
The Viljandi Folk Music Festival is a music festival in Estonia with a central focus on European folk music. It is traditionally held during the last weekend of July, when the otherwise quiet city of Viljandi is completely transformed as ...
Finland
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Kaustinen Folk Music Festival
France
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Festival Interceltique de Lorient
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Rencontres Internationales de Luthiers et Maîtres-Sonneurs
Germany
Festival-Mediaval XIV, "Folk of the World"
Ireland
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Temple Bar TradFest
TradFest Temple Bar is an annual music and culture festival that takes place in late January in Dublin, Ireland. Founded by the Temple Bar Company, a not-for-profit organisation who work on behalf of businesses in the cultural quarter of Temple ...
Lithuania
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Kaziuko mugė
Kaziuko mugė or Saint Casimir's Fair is a large annual folk arts and crafts fair in Vilnius, Lithuania, dating to the beginning of the 17th century. The fair is traditionally held in city's markets and streets on the Sunday nearest to 4 March (Fe ...
,
Vilnius
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Mėnuo Juodaragis,
Zarasai
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Parbėg laivelis,
Klaipeda
Netherlands
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Castlefest
Castlefest is a medieval/fantasy festival in the Netherlands, held in the gardens of Castle Keukenhof in Lisse since 2005.
History
During the first edition in 2005, 3,500 visitors attended the event, in 2007 the festival attracted 16,000 visito ...
Russia
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Empty Hills,
Kaluga Oblast
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Grushinsky festival, near
Samara
Spain
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Interceltic Festival of Avilés
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Interceltic Festival of Morrazo
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Ortigueira's Festival of Celtic World
Ortigueira, a seaport and borough in County Ferrolterra (A Coruña) in Galicia, celebrates its patron saint day -Saint Martha of Ortigueira's Day- on 29 July.
Held during Saint Martha's day, Ortigueira's Festival of Celtic World (Festival Inte ...
United Kingdom
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Beverley Folk Festival
The Beverley Folk Festival is a three-day celebration of folk music, art, comedy and spoken word held in Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It was first organised in 1983 by the White Horse Folk Club and grew considerably over thirty y ...
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Cambridge Folk Festival
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Celtic Connections
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England's Medieval Festival
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Edinburgh Folk Festival
Ceilidh Culture is an annual festival held in Edinburgh, Scotland which incorporates folk music, song, dance and storytelling. There is currently a month-long programme of events which take place around Easter time. The current format first too ...
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Fairport's Cropredy Convention
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FolkEast
FolkEast is an English music festival which started in 2012 at Somerleyton Hall, Suffolk, England. In 2013, it relocated to Glemham Hall in Little Glemham, Suffolk, where it currently holds its annual festival on the weekend before the August ban ...
Festival
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The Green Man Festival
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Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival
The Inter Varsity Folk Dance Festival (IVFDF) is the longest running Folk dance, folk festival in the United Kingdom, having been hosted from 1951 to the present day (2022).
It differs from most other festivals in two respects: it moves location ...
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Middlewich Folk and Boat Festival
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Shetland Folk Festival
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Shrewsbury Folk Festival
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Sidmouth Folk Festival
There has been a folk festival in the coastal town of Sidmouth in South West England in the first week of August every year since 1955, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to over 700 diverse events.
Sidmouth Folk Festival offers a wide r ...
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Soma Festival
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Wickham Festival
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Wimborne Folk Festival
Wimborne Minster Folk Festival took over from the previously known Wimborne Folk Festival in 2013 when the previous organisers retired in August 2012, after over 30 years organising the festival. The annual festival is still internationally re ...
North America
Honduras
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Encuentro Folklórico Nacional ''El Grande de Grandes''
Canada
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Calgary Folk Music Festival
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Canmore Folk Music Festival
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Edmonton Folk Music Festival
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival (EFMF) is an annual four-day outdoor music event held the second weekend of August in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, established in 1980 by Don Whalen. The festival continues to draw many people from around the world a ...
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Winnipeg Folk Festival (Birds Hill)
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Celtic Colours (Cape Breton)
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Stan Rogers Folk Festival (Canso)
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CityFolkFestival (Ottawa)
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Emerald Music Festival
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Hillside Festival (Guelph)
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Home County Folk Festival (London)
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Mariposa Folk Festival (Orillia)
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Mill Race Festival of Traditional Folk Music (Cambridge)
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Northern Lights Festival Boréal
Northern Lights Festival Boréal is an annual summer music festival in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada. It is one of Canada's oldest music festivals in continuous operation, having been staged every year since 1972 until the Covid-19 pandemic. (Sudbury)
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Red Rock Folk Festival (Red Rock)
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Regina Folk Festival
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Summerfolk Music and Crafts Festival
Summerfolk is an annual folk music and craft festival held in Owen Sound, Ontario during the third weekend in August (August 20–23 in 2015). Summerfolk attracts performers and fans from across North America and the globe to Kelso Beach Park locat ...
(Owen Sound)
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TD Canada Trust Sunfest (London)
United States
Alaska
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Alaska Folk Festival
The Alaska Folk Festival is an annual celebration of the music of Alaska, the Northwestern United States, and Canada, established in 1975. It is organised by The Alaska Folk Festival Inc., which is a non-profit membership organisation dedicated to ...
California
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Big Sur Folk Festival
The Big Sur Folk Festival, held from 1964 to 1971 in California, was an informal gathering of prominent and emerging folk artists from across the United States. Nancy Jane Carlen (1941-2013) was working at the Esalen Institute when Joan Baez wa ...
District of Columbia
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Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Florida
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Florida Folk Festival Florida Folk Festival is a long-running annual folk music festival in Hamilton County, Florida. It began in 1953. Thelma Boltin was an organizer for the festival.
The festival has also featured presentations in the Mikasuki language.
Reference ...
Indiana
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Feast of the Hunters' Moon
Feast of the Hunters’ Moon is a weekend festival and historical reenactment held on a weekend in October since 1968, at the present-day site of Fort Ouiatenon, a replica 18th century French military and trading post near West Lafayette, Indiana ...
Maine
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American Folk Festival
Massachusetts
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Lowell Folk Festival
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New England Folk Festival
Montana
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Montana Folk Festival
New Jersey
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New Jersey Folk Festival
New York
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Falcon Ridge Folk Festival
The Falcon Ridge Folk Festival is an American annual folk-oriented music festival and dance festival held at Dodds Farm in Hillsdale, New York.
History
The first festival was a two-day event in 1988, held at a ski slope. In 1991, the festival mo ...
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Old Songs Festival
North Carolina
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Folkmoot USA
Folkmoot USA, The State International Festival of North Carolina, is an international folk festival held since 1984 in Waynesville, North Carolina and surrounding communities. During its history, the two-week event has featured around 8000 perform ...
North Dakota
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Norsk Høstfest
Norsk Høstfest (Norwegian language: "''Norwegian Autumn Festival''") is an annual festival held each fall in Minot, North Dakota, US. It is North America's largest Scandinavian festival.
History
The event is held on the North Dakota State Fair gr ...
Oklahoma
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Woody Guthrie Folk Festival
Oregon
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Sisters Folk Festival
Pennsylvania
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Flood City Music Festival
Flood City Music Festival is an annual music festival held in Johnstown, Pennsylvania, presented by the Johnstown Area Heritage Association.
The festival began in 1989 as a street fair to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the Johnstown Flood ...
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Philadelphia Folk Festival
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Pittsburgh Folk Festival
Rhode Island
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Newport Folk Festival
Tennessee
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The Americana Folk Festival
Texas
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Kerrville Folk Festival
The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The Kerrville Folk Festival was founded in 1972 by the husband-wife team of Rod Kennedy ...
Traveling
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National Folk Festival
Washington
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Northwest Folklife
Wisconsin
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Great River Folk Fest
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Holiday Folk Fair
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Mile of Music
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Oshkosh International Folk Festival
Oceania
Australia
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National Folk Festival
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Woodford Folk Festival
New Zealand
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Whare Flat Folk Festival - held over the New Year period at
Whare Flat near
Dunedin
Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...
; run by Dunedin's New Edinburgh Folk Club
References
Further reading
* Coffin, Tristam P.; Cohen, Hennig, (editors), ''Folklore in America; tales, songs, superstitions, proverbs, riddles, games, folk drama and folk festivals'', Garden City, N.Y. : Doubleday, 1966. Selections from the ''Journal of American folklore''. Cf. chapter on "Folk Drama and Folk Festival", pp. 195–225,
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