The Rhode Island Folk Festival celebrated its 10th anniversary.th anniversary on Sunday, August 26, with over 40 artists, dozens of vendors and food trucks, and a guitar giveaway at Crescent Park in East Providence. The free festival enjoyed its largest attendance yet with an estimated 2,500 fans.
Fans of all ages filled the expansive lawn at the Bandshell Stage to hear headliner Tom Rush share songs and stories from his 60-year career. Beforehand, Michelle Malone played a rousing folk-rock set accompanied by guitarist Doug Kees. The afternoon of family fun featured local and national stars performing on three stages, as well as a songwriting workshop with well-known RI musician Mark Cutler.
Local artists dominated the day on the Gazebo Stage, which featured strong performances from a wide range of artists. The vibe was a little more offbeat on the Songbird Stage, where a carefully curated list of artists touched the boundaries of the folk genre. Cool stuff all around!
Also of note, several new guitars (and other used instruments) were raffled off to over a dozen children who attended the festival. The Gibson Foundation provided six new guitars as part of Gibson Gives, a charitable program to support future generations of musicians.
Check out some photos from the festival by WUN lifestyle editor Ken Abrams.
