COMMUNITY RALLIES AROUND LOWELL FOLK FESTIVAL

Long-Time Supporters & Individual Donors Ensure Free Event Continues in 2025

(Lowell MA-July 14, 2025) When the National Endowment for the Arts rescinded grants to not-for-profit arts organizations around the country earlier this year, the 2025 Lowell Folk Festival was among those affected. The community of Lowell has responded, with long-time festival supporters coming through with naming sponsorships for three performance stages. Festival goers will now be entertained at the Rockland Trust Bank Dance Pavilion, the Richard K and Nancy L Donahue Foundation Stage at St. Anne’s, and the Saab Family Foundation Stage at Market Street..

“We are grateful for the outpouring of support from the entire community,” said Festival Director Lee Vileisis. “In addition to the new stage sponsorships, we were overwhelmed by the number of individual contributions we received from festival fans both near and far when they heard about the funding set-back.”

“The NEA has been a valued partner for many years, and this change, while not unique to us, comes just as the cost of producing the festival continues to rise sharply,” added Arthur Sutcliffe, board chairman of the Lowell Festival Foundation. “The festival has always been a community project, and as a non-profit organization, we have always relied on a combination of grants, sponsorships, and small donations.

“We continue to rely on those funding sources for this year and beyond. The 38th annual Lowell Folk Festival will go on as planned—free and open to all, and filled with the music, traditions, and community spirit that brings so many people together year after year. As you can imagine, this event is expensive to produce, and we are still in fund raising mode for this year. If you’re looking to help in the cause, please visit our website. ”

“The Lowell Folk Festival is a living tribute to the city’s rich tapestry of traditions, stories, and cultures. Rockland Trust is honored to support an event so deeply rooted in everything that makes Lowell special,” said Jeffrey Tengel, President and Chief Executive Officer at Rockland Trust.

The remarkably diverse line-up of world-class musicians scheduled to play the 2025 Lowell Folk Festival include Cajun legend BeauSoleil, Irish favorites Solas, blues rockers Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, Gospel ensemble The Bullock Brothers, flamenco dancer and singer LOS RICOS featuring Sonia & Ismael, West Africa’s Bamba Wassoulou Groove, fado guitarist Ricardo Parreira, and bluegrass group Crooked Road Revival.

Also performing this year will be Trinidadian Carnival mas group Dynasty ProductionsCarnival Parade, New England gospel group Bullock Brothers, Lowell-based Cambodian Angkor Dance Troupe, Grammy nominated Vasilis Kostas bringing the music of Greece, old-time country music with Martha Spencer & the Wonderland Country Band, renowned Tlingit storyteller and dynamic performer, Gene Tagaban, New York-based salsa ensemble Edwin Perez y Su Orquesta, Oghlan Bakhshi plays traditional music from his native Iran, Portuguese fado guitarist Ricardo Parreira, Pan Franek, Zosia & the Polka Towners, and West African beats from Bamba Wassoulou Groove. The full performance schedule can be found HERE.

The Lowell Folk Festival continues to be more than a music event.  Foods from around the world are prepared and sold by local non-profits representing different cultures found in New England. This free, family-friendly festival also hosts the Experience Lowell Marketplace in partnership with Mosaic Lowell, featuring area artists, craft makers, and organizations, enabling festival attendees to experience everything that Mill City’s arts and culture community has to offer.  New this year is the Discovery Lowell Playspace in partnership with the Discovery Museum, along Merrimack Street, where young festival-goers have the opportunity to engage in a wide range of interactive activities. 

The Lowell Folk Festival is produced by the Lowell Festival Foundation, City of Lowell, Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce, Greater Lowell Community Foundation, Lowell National Historical Park, National Council for the Traditional Arts, and Revolutionary Valley.

Our Community Partners include Mosaic Lowell and the Lowell Litter Krewe.

Major support for the Lowell Folk Festival comes from Richard K And Nancy L Donahue Charitable Foundation, Saab Family Foundation, Rockland Trust Bank, Mass Cultural Council, Gate City Casino, Mass Office of Travel & Tourism, Lowell Cultural Council, F.W. Webb, LMTLSS Media, Demoulas Foundation, UMass Lowell, Middlesex Community College, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Quality Beverage, Mahoney Oil/Eastern Salt, John Hunnewell Trust, Aubert Fay Foundation, Joseph P. Donahue Charitable Foundation Trust, Hilton Garden Inn Tewksbury Andover, Dylan & Pete’s Ice Cream, Gervais Auto Group, Lowell Five Bank, Quebec Delegation Boston, Markley, Suffolk Construction, Lowell Ink, Progressive Pilgrimage, Albert E. J. Bergeron Insurance Agency, Lowell Sun Charities, Fred C. Church Insurance, LAZ Parking, Mark-One, Lowell Family Dental Practice, Owl Stamp Visual Solutions, and All Sports Heroes.

The Lowell Folk Festival acknowledges the contributions from exhibitors: All at Home Health Care, Bath Flip, Cambodia Town Lowell Inc., Cannabist, Citizens Bank, Discovery Museum, Ellie's Licorice Ropes, Innovation Academy Charter School, Inventor Stem School, Koto, Latin Community Center for Empowerment, Lowell Chess Club, Lowell Humane Society, LVAD Strong, Merrimack Valley Food Bank, NRG, Power Home Remodeling, Neeeco/Mass Save Program, Renewal by Andersen, Reverie 73, Rise Cannabis, Thrive Communities, Vinfen, and WindowNation.

Business sponsors include Adobe, Arts League of Lowell, Athenian Corner, Brew’d Awakenings, Cobblestones, El Potro, Gormley’s Cafe, Jeanne D’Arc Credit Union, Koto Lowell Asian Fusion, Kung Fu Tea, Lazy Cat Lounge, La La Books, Lowell Development & Financial Corporation, Lowell Memorial Auditorium, The Lowell Plan, The Old Court, Tescobar, TMI Properties, Washington Savings Bank, Worthen House Cafe, and ZenBusiness.

A special thanks to our media partners: 92.5 The River, Chelmsford Telemedia, CK Communications Group, Inside Lowell, Lowell Telecommunications Corporation (LTC), Mill City Weather, Stub Stories, and WCAP.

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