Fill your playlist (and your plate) with the best of the Lowell Folk Festival - The Boston Globe
Fill your playlist (and your plate) with the best of the Lowell Folk Festival
By Noah Schaffer, Globe correspondent
Every year, the free Lowell Folk Festival proves that a weekend-long immersion in traditional music, dance, and food can be as entertaining as it is enriching. The festival kicks off July 25 with Boston Caribbean Carnival favorites Dynasty Productions leading a Parade of Nations. The celebration wraps up July 27 with a final high-energy set from Red Baraat.
As always, the food is just as spectacular as the music. Nearly every one of the 19 food booths is run by a local ethnic nonprofit. You'll find Brazilian cachorro-quente, Laotian papaya salad, Greek spinach pies, Polish pierogi, Cameroonian canda stew, and the famously long line at the Filipino booth.
Musical Highlights
- Solas – Celtic legends reuniting for their 30th anniversary tour with original members Seamus Egan, Winifred Horan, and John Williams.
- Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials – electrified Chicago blues.
- BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet – the Cajun music pioneers return.
- Angkor Dance Troupe – celebrating 40 years and honoring the survival of Cambodian culture post-Khmer Rouge.
- Bamba Wassoulou Groove – a dancefloor-ready Malian band making their area debut.
- Oghlan Bakhshi & Zyyada Jumayeva – rare Turkmen bardic music, with support from Boston gospel legends Sons of the Bullock Brothers and polka dynamos Pan Franek, Zosia & the Polka Towners.
- Ricardo Parreira & Friends – traditional Portuguese fado with special guests, including Lowell's Alison Dasilva.
Workshops throughout the weekend include “From Courtly to Contest: Centuries of Dance” and “Dance to the Music: South America to South Asia,” showcasing performers from across the globe.
Lowell Folk Festival
Location: Downtown Lowell
Dates: July 25–27
Admission: Free
Streaming: Three of the four stages will be streamed live via Lowell TeleMedia Center and Chelmsford TeleMedia.
READ MORE: bostonglobe.com/2025/07/17/arts/fill-your-playlist-your-plate-with-best-lowell-folk-festival
