By Kaylyn Pageot

The North Carolina Folk Festival was hosted in downtown Greensboro Sept. 18-20. It showcased a host of bands, food trucks galore and multiple booths from businesses around Greensboro. The Folk Festival is an event that allows people in Greensboro the opportunity to go out with their families, friends and even pets to enjoy music and check out businesses that are around the city. Having gone to the festival myself, I was able to hear some of the bands, enjoy some amazing food and find out some more information on how the festival works.

The Folk Festival is a three-day event that takes over downtown with a host of different stages. This year the festival featured more than 80 artists, hosted more than 40 food vendors and 60 merchants. Most days started mainly in the afternoon and then finished late into the night. There were five different stages where bands like The Roots, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, Illiterate Light and many more showcased their musical talents.

The NC Folk Festival is able to host these talents and events for free to the public through donations from patrons and sponsors from corporations like Grandover Resort and Spa. What makes the NC Folk Festival more than just a music festival is that it showcases a wide range of musical traditions while demonstrating the cultural craft experiences and community programming.

I was able to not only attend the festival myself, but I was also able to hear from other students about their experiences with the festival. Having gone in both the night and afternoon, I can heavily recommend for those who do not like big crowds and cramped spaces to plan on going in the afternoon. Also, if you like the more traditional version of folk, I would go early in the afternoon; bands and musicians performing at this time were Folkknot, SUTSO Stringband and Molly Tuttle.

For those who want to avoid the sun, like more funk and jazz and do not mind bumping into their neighbors, I would suggest going during the night. Bands and musicians performing at this time were The Roots, Amelia Day and OKAN.

I asked students how they felt when they first found out about the event and what made them most excited for it.

“I was super excited!” said sophomore Aster Adams, directing major. “I love the atmosphere of the folk festival, and I love The Roots so I was looking forward to their performance.”

“I was very excited,” stated senior David Slifer, design/tech major. “Although I have been at Greensboro College all four years, this was my first time going.”

“I had a great time at the Folk Festival and would definitely go again,” said junior Brynly Manwaring, history and political science major.

Although there were many positive reactions to the event, unfortunately, with events this big, not everything can go perfectly. Students who went later into the night struggled with the bigger crowds.

“It was honestly just getting way too crowded; I could not see the stage or the screen at all,” said Adams as a reason to leave early.

“I was not a fan of the giant crowds and unorganized spaces of the festival,” said Manwaring.

However, even with these hiccups both stated that they still want to attend the event again.

One of the main things pushed by the festival organizers was the fact that the NC Folk Festival may not be available to all for free in the future unless they receive enough donations, more specifically $25,000.

“Yes! It definitely makes me wonder what else can be done to support the festival,” Adams stated when asked if she knew this before attending.

Slifer was asked a similar question and if finding out the information changed his opinion on attending, he stated that he was unaware of that.

“It does not change my mind in the slightest,” Slifer said. “An event like that is important for a community and I hope it continues to stay free to the public.”

I hope this not only encourages you to attend the next festival but also brings awareness to how it operates. The NC Folk Festival brings the community together and exposes people to different traditions in music than their own. Without the support of the community, events like these would not be possible. It is an opportunity that relies on positive community outlook in order to operate and is an event everyone should experience at least once in their lives.

So, next year I hope you open your ears and listen out for any and all news about the next NC Folk Festival.