Salisbury Welcomes National Folk Festival

In case you haven’t heard, Salisbury is the official 2018-2020 National Folk Festival Host City, having competed against 34 cities nationwide for the honor. To say the least… we are very excited! We are in partnership with the National Folk Festival to help make this event a success!

This three-day outdoor festival is America’s most prestigious and long-running celebration of our rich, multicultural traditional arts. Since 1934, the festival has worked to bring all types of American heritage together. There will be over 350 performers, entertainers, and craftspeople from throughout the nation, sending artistic vibes through the heart of downtown Salisbury.

The festival runs from 6pm-10:30pm Friday, noon-10:30pm Saturday, and noon-6:30pm Sunday. Admission to the event is free!

Find the full list of performers here.

Whereas this National Folk Festival highlights musical artists and the historical culture of music, there is so much more to enjoy.

Listen to all types of music–from Cajun to blues to mariachi–and dance away; enjoy arts and crafts for children, taste delicious, ethnic foods from all over the region; and truly discover America in Salisbury, MD, bringing together the finest American festival and Maryland’s historic Eastern Shore.

It is definitely not a one-time event or just a showcase of art; it’s a series of events targeted to bring in over 150,000 people into the heart of the city, and pump significant sums of money into the local economy.

The Festival partners with the host city in understanding that after its three years, the community intends to create and continue a festival of its own in order to carry out the tradition of cultural celebration. Anywhere from 60-80,000 people are expected to attend the National Folk Festival in the first year alone, increasing in the second and third years, so you won’t want to miss out on this happening event! And to top it all off, the festival’s final year in Salisbury, 2020, will mark its 80th Anniversary.