Written by Christa Lamb, Director of Media & Communications, Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau.
I still remember the first time I stumbled into the Lowell Folk Festival in my early twenties, music echoing down the canals, the scent of grilled plantains and fried dough in the air, and dancers swirling in the middle of the street like they couldn’t help themselves.
I didn’t plan to fall in love with this city that day, but I did. And I’m not alone.
Every summer, for nearly four decades, the Lowell Folk Festival has drawn people including locals and visitors, students and teachers, families and artists transforming the historic mill city into something electric, welcoming, and profoundly human. It’s not just a festival; it’s a feeling. A heartbeat. A beautiful reminder of who we are and who we can be when we come together.
That’s why this year feels different. Harder. And more important than ever.
In the spring of 2025, we learned that a $20,000 grant from the National Endowment for the Arts had been pulled—a grant that helps keep this beloved festival free and accessible to all. For a city like Lowell, where community access matters, that loss hits deep. That funding doesn’t just support musicians and logistics. It supports cultural visibility. It supports equity. It gives children the chance to hear music from across the globe, often for the very first time, and feel something stir inside them. But Lowell doesn’t give up easily.
In true folk tradition, the community has rallied. Congresswoman Lori Trahan is fighting to restore the grant. Local businesses have stepped up. Volunteers are putting in extra hours. Neighbors are donating what they can, because they know that the Folk Festival is not a luxury, it’s a legacy. It’s our legacy.
This year, July 25–27, the festival carries even more meaning. On the lineup: BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet, Solas, Red Baraat, Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials, and many more, each bringing the kind of energy and soul that only comes from lived tradition. From the Boarding House Park stage to the Dance Pavilion, you’ll find more than performances, you’ll find stories, languages, movements, and sounds that carry generations with them.
If you’ve never been, or if you’ve brought your students in the past, this is the year to return. There’s no better place for experiential learning than this living, breathing celebration. The festival is free, walkable, and welcoming, with parking available at garages like Ayotte, Downes, and Gallagher Terminal, plus shuttles and accessibility services to make sure everyone can join in.
As Director of Media & Communications for the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau—and as someone who cherishes this city—I invite you to be part of the story. Use the festival as a teachable moment. Let your students taste a culture they’ve never encountered. Watch them light up when they see a dancer move or hear a beat that speaks to them in a new way.
Because what happens here isn’t just entertainment. It’s connection. It’s education. It’s empathy in action.
And while the grant may be gone for now, the music is not. Not if we keep showing up. Not if we keep believing in what this festival brings to Lowell and to the world.
We hope to see you there.
Learn more at lowellfolkfestival.org.
