Lowell Folk Festival gets ready to party - The Lowell Sun

LOWELL — Excitement is building for the 38th annual Lowell Folk Festival that opens in just 11 days.

The longest-running and second-largest free folk festival kicks off with the traditional Parade of Flags Friday, July 25 at 6:15 p.m., and runs through Sunday, July 27.

To get to that public point, though, requires lots of behind-the-scenes work — lining up talent, vendors, volunteers, permits and money — which starts the day after the festival ends the previous year up through the closing credits Sunday night.

“Excitement and terror go hand in hand at this moment,” Festival Director Lee Viliesis said by email on Friday. “Behind the scenes, there’s a small army of people working around the clock. We are checking, double-checking, and pouring [our] hearts into every detail.”

The three-day festival combines old favorites, like the food booth of Bedford’s Iskwelahang Pilipino, which serves up Filipino cuisine, with new options such as the first-ever Discovery Museum Playspace.

The Acton-based museum will offer an interactive area for families along Merrimack Street from Dutton to Central Streets.

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