The 2010 Richmond Folk Festival is so close that if you listen hard—really focus, now—you might just hear it. On the other hand, you might hear your heavily bearded upstairs neighbor singing along to Miley Cyrus in a piercing falsetto. Regardless of the outcome, there is no uncertainty that preparations for the upcoming event have begun as of this week.
The Folk Festival is one of Richmond’s most successful and beloved yearly gatherings. It usually attracts up to 200,000 people (160,000 last year due to some ominous weather), making it central Virginia’s largest festival.
Programming committee member and lead artist host Tim Timberlake calls it "Richmond’s finest hour." Fortunately for fans, this hour lasts a whole weekend—Friday Oct. 8 to Sunday Oct. 12.
The Nuts and Bolts—and Strings and Frets
The Folk Festival’s continued popularity is due in large part to the hard work that goes into its planning. Timberlake admits that as an organizer, "You get to see how very complex an undertaking it is."
As complicated as the setup may be, attendees reap the benefits of a well-run gig without paying a dime—with no entry fee or tickets, the festival’s only charges are to buy food or crafts from vendors.
The location of the festival is the same as in past years, bounded by 2nd Street, 7th Street, and Byrd Street and spilling from the American Civil War Center at Tredegar onto Brown’s Island (check out a map). Performances take place on seven stages spaced throughout the grounds.
There are multiple ways to coordinate travel to the event. Those intent on driving all the way to the epicenter will find a generous offering of dedicated parking lots ($5 fee, see website for directions and parking info). The more traffic-averse crowd and visitors unfamiliar with the city are probably better off taking advantage of the festival’s free parking and shuttle service, with departure points at The Diamond and Spring Rock Green on Midlothian Turnpike.
The Performers
The heart and soul of the Folk Festival are the artists. Folk Festival director Lisa Sims comments on the authenticity of the performers: "These are people who have learned their art, their craft, from someone who has passed it down to them."
Both Sims and Timberlake highlight the fact that while the festival has not made any major changes in format this year, all of the performers are new. In other words, there are about 25 world-class acts that Richmonders have almost certainly never seen live before.
Performances feature groups such as Boukman Eksperyans, Haitian musicians "with a sound rooted in traditional Haitian music… but performed with rock instrumentation," according to the Folk Festival website; Otrov, a group of American musicians who play traditional Balkan string band music with a sound that Timberlake describes as, "sort of like bluegrass from the Middle East;" and Lunasa, a highly popular traditional Irish music group.
Due to the large number of performers (and overlapping performances on various stages), the recommended strategy for the festival is to do a little advance reconnaissance. Read artist bios and listen to sample music clips, then plot out a personal itinerary using your downloadable pocket schedule and map—for the super-cool music fan, all this info is available via the Folk Festival iPhone app.
The Fans
If the musicians are the heart and soul of the Folk Festival, the fans are the liver and kidneys—equally vital to continued good health and a pleasant existence. Sims explains that The Richmond Folk Festival is so successful in attracting top-notch artists because, "They love the city, they love the location right on the river and they love the appreciative audience."
In addition to providing a welcoming atmosphere for the performers, 1,200 fans of the festival volunteer to make the event possible (and help keep it free). Whether contributing to the physical setup, acting as artist hosts to guide the music groups around Richmond, or coordinating the performers’ visits to public schools (an outreach program run by Timberlake’s JAMinc nonprofit), Richmonders have made the Folk Festival their own.
"It’s been great to see the crowds and how much the community has embraced this festival," observed Timberlake. So, prepare to continue Richmond’s hearty folk music bear hug. Shine your dancing shoes or, depending on your preference, wash and press your comfy sitting-down pants and listen out for those first strains of folk music floating up from the river.
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