The 33rd Annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival is taking place this Saturday and Sunday at Presidio Middle School. All the events are free and open to the public.
The Festival was conceived in 1976 by the San Francisco Folk Music Club, which staged it for the first two years at the Hall of Flowers. From there it has bounced around to various San Francisco locations, but now it is back in the Richmond District. The event typically draws between 2,000 and 3,000 guests; it takes another 200 volunteers to put it on.
The festival is jam-packed with all kinds of performances, singing and dancing workshops and other folky fun. For you brave souls, there’s even an open mic session from noon to 2pm each day. The festival also features a special area just for families, with sing-a-longs, concerts, puppets, even something called “Gruesome Song Swap” (Do you like songs that are gruesome, gross, or otherwise disgusting?).
Check out the performers and workshops that will take place, or peruse the entire weekend’s schedule to see what appeals. Headlining performers include Laurie Lewis, Claudia Russel, Misisipi Rider, Beat Beat Whisper, Earl Bros and dozens more. You can listen to many of these artists on the festival’s MySpace page.
Remember all events are free, so stop by for a half hour or many hours. Sounds like a lot of fun, especially for kids. Or get a babysitter and head out to one of the evening dance parties featuring international folk dancing, vintage Ballroom, Contra dance and more.
SAN FRANCISCO FREE FOLK FESTIVAL
June 13 & 14th, Noon – 10pm
Presidio Middle School, 450 30th Ave, San Francisco (@ Geary)
Free admission | Parking available for $8 per day
Here’s a video of headliner Claudia Russell performing a song called “Oh California”. She’ll be performing with her Folk Unlimited Orchestra on Sunday around 7pm.
Sarah B.