UPPER SALFORD — Thousands flocked to the Old Pool Farm over the weekend for the 62nd annual Philadelphia Folk Festival.
Presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society, this year’s festival featured performances by dozens of folk acts across seven separate stages. Performers ran the gamut from singer/songwriters to old-time to bluegrass to Celtic, with names including Alison Brown, Vanessa Collier, John Gorka and Alejandro Escovedo.
The lineup included a balance of new and veteran festival performers, from fiddler Eileen Ivers to singer-songwriter John McClutcheon to duo David Jacobs-Strain and Bob Beach to folk comedy group April Fools.
“I’m proud of the fact that we’ve managed to get a really solid mix of artists who’ve been playing here for decades that our hardcore audience has really fallen in love with, while also introducing them to emerging acts,” said festival director Michael Braunfeld on the event’s inaugural evening. “There are any number of discoveries to be found here.”
First held in 1962, the festival was an annual tradition in Upper Salford until the COVID-19 pandemic forced its cancellation in 2020 and 2021. The event returned in 2022 but was suspended the following year due to financial difficulties. Following an extraordinary donation and membership drive by the Folksong Society, the festival returned last year.
“We succeeded in pulling off a profitable event last year, replenished the coffers a bit,” said festival director Michael Braunfeld. “So 2025 was never an issue financially. We were going to go for it.”
Lineup
Throughout the weekend, the vast farm was buzzing with activity, with hundreds of tents cluttering the campgrounds, numerous food vendors and children’s activities dotting the concert scene and folk music tunes filling the air.
Braunfeld, who succeeded his father as festival director, booked every artist for this year’s festival. Due to the Society’s previous financial struggles, he eschewed more expensive popular acts and leveraged his connections in the folk music scene to minimize the performers’ budget.
“The performer budget for an event of this size is extremely small compared to similar-sized events, certainly to arena shows or larger festivals. But we’ve gotta get creative sometimes,” said Braunfeld.
“We keep our performers budget to a reasonable amount that still allows us to put on a great festival without overburdening the Society for the cost,” added Eric Ring, president of the Philadelphia Folksong Society. “But if more people support us over time, maybe we can add more popular acts that cost more.”
In selecting the lineup, Braunfeld expressed an interest in preserving traditional folk music while pushing the boundaries of the genre, pointing to performer Christine Elise, a rapper and harpist.
“You have the traditional instruments where you can hear a bit of old-time or bluegrass or Celtic, but they’re fusing it with rock ‘n roll,” said Braunfeld. “Some on the hill may say, ‘That’s not folk music.’ But in my book, it absolutely belongs here.”
“I want this to stay a Folk Fest. But I think it’s an incredibly big roof that we’ve got to bring everybody in,” Braunfeld continued, adding, “I also think it’s a way in to a younger demographic that we will need to cater to if we want to see them buying tickets and showing up.”
Ticket sales were down slightly from last year, noted Braunfeld and Ring, which they attributed to heightened enthusiasm over the festival’s return. However, the addition of new sponsors and vendors has helped make up the difference, said Braunfeld.
“And we’re maintaining a budget that is manageable,” said Braunfeld. “Even if we get poured on, we’re gonna be OK.”
Preserving history
In addition to the music performances, the festival offered some educational activities, including folk dancing lessons, instrument instruction and demonstration in various styles and folk music history teachings.
“Being able to teach about the history of the banjo, which had its roots in Africa but is now thought of as solely a bluegrass instrument, it’s incredibly important,” said Braunfeld. “We want to present artists that can perform the heck out of their music but also offer instruction and education on why the music matters.”
Both Braunfeld and Ring stressed the importance of preserving folk music, touting its longstanding history and significant contributions to society.
“I don’t want to see it lost, but the market becomes smaller and smaller, and over time, we just lose sight of what it actually is and what it contributed to the world,” said Braunfeld. “With folk music, you’re going back centuries of people passing their tradition down to the next generation, literally sitting around campfires and teaching the youth about their culture and customers through song.”
“Music is something that brings us together,” said Ring. “It’s meant to be shared, and our organization allows those artists the opportunity to share their music. We also give local artists a platform to be able to play and improve.”
Ring added that the festival provides an opportunity for attendees to embrace their differences.
“You can be yourself here, and you’re accepted,” said Ring. “I think that’s a huge thing for people who are a little bit different in the real world. They can come here and just be themselves. I love that we can provide a place for that.”
Festival’s future
Having organized a second consecutive Folk Fest after going dark in 2023, both Braunfeld and Ring expressed confidence that the iconic event will return again next year.
“I do hope to be back next year. This event really holds a special place in my heart,” said Braunfeld. “What I’ve been seeing over the last week of people buying day tickets or camping passes, it looks good, and I’m pretty confident.”
“I think that even if we have a situation where we don’t quite break even, it’s not gonna be an issue,” said Ring. “We’ll be back next year.”
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