Chicago Folk & Roots Festival hits town July 11-12
Experience a wide range of world music and dance at the 12th annual Chicago Folk & Roots Festival at Welles Park on July 11 and 12.
This laid-back, but highly entertaining event features every musical form from R&B, to fiddling contests and a cowpoke sing-along. Hosted by the city’s famed Old Town School of Folk Music, the two-day fest offers something for the entire family.
Main Stage performances Saturday evening, July 11, include R&B musicians Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears and Karsh Kale’s fusion of Indian classical music and electronica on Sunday night.
A kids' tent will offer sing-alongs, as well as an "Instrument Petting Zoo" offering children an opportunity to experiment with various musical instruments. The dance tent offers workshops in hula, hip-hop, tango and bhangra, to name a few. Old Town faculty members perform at the gazebo.
The school opened in 1957 when folk music began gaining popularity and Pete Seeger and Mahalia Jackson were among its earliest performers. During the 1960s folk music revival, Roger McGuinn of the Byrds, John Prine, Bonnie Coloc and the late Steve Goodman all studied at the school. Today the school boasts more than 3,000 students who take classes in music forms from around the world.
Held from noon to 10 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday, the festival draws an estimated 30,000 visitors. It is located at Chicago’s Welles Park, 4400 N. Lincoln Ave. Admission is $8 for adults and $4 for senior citizens, 65 and over, and also $4 for kids.
Local food establishments will serve specialties outdoors along Lincoln Avenue. For information call (773) 728-6000 or visit the school website.
- by Lori Rotenberk , Chicago Reporter for HelloMetro
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