It’s a big week for the city of Greensboro, as the entire community pulls together to host the inaugural North Carolina Folk Festival, a free celebration of cultural roots and heritage that serves as a legacy event of the National Folk Festival that took place in Greensboro from 2015-2017.
As a sponsor for the second straight year, UNC Greensboro will once again transform Davie Street into “Spartan Way” and will offer a variety of free Spartan swag to festival-goers throughout the weekend.
Chancellor Franklin D. Gilliam, Jr. will help kick off the festival Friday night at 7 p.m. at City Stage. On Saturday, UNCG’s NanoBus, Art Truck and SELF Design Studio will host a variety of activities for families. The SELF Design Studio, UNCG Team Quest and the Musical Petting Zoo – an opportunity to play different kinds of musical instruments – will be downtown on Sunday.
Among the UNCG alumni who will take center stage during the three-day festival are:
- Rhiannon Giddens, who is also serving as the festival’s special guest curator
- Lalenja Harrington
- Laurelyn Dossett, host of “Songs of Hope and Justice”
- Carol Thompson, Contra dance caller
- Dom-Sebastian Alexis of B-Boy Ballet
- Chuck Folds and Eddie Walker of Big Bang Boom
The more than 175,000 expected attendees will enjoy a wide variety of musical performances – from bluegrass to gypsy jazz to Puerto Rican bomba and plena – as well as dance and demonstrations from craftspeople.
UNCG alumni, students, faculty and staff who attend are encouraged to wear blue and gold and to use UNCG’s event Snapchat filter and the #UNCGWay and #NCFolkFest hashtags when sharing on social media.
To learn more about the festival, view a schedule of events and download the app, visit ncfolkfestival.com. Students interested in volunteering at the event are invited to complete the Google form here.
Story by Alyssa Bedrosian, University Communications
Photography by Jiyoung Park, University Communications
