Here’s your chance to hear music from Afghanistan, Nashville, Haiti; taste food from Brazil, Liberia, Burma; get up-close and personal with traditional crafts, from Uyghur calligraphy to Celtic knotwork.

This weekend’s free Lowell Folk Festival in the city’s downtown is a cultural smorgasbord of folk music, craft tradition, and an array of fare from around the world.

The 36th fest kicks off Friday at 6:15 p.m. with a parade of flags at Boarding House Park, led by Haitian band Lakou Mizik, and it ends Sunday afternoon with the same band. The middle of the folk sandwich? Music on four stages, demonstrations, family fun, dancing, and plenty of food.