Experience Lowell

06/20/2023

Art in the Courtyard and Destination Lowell will combine and expand to a new location under the name EXPERIENCE LOWELL. Located in the Enterprise Bank parking lot at 222 Merrimack Street, this event will feature Lowell artists, makers, and organizations so that festival attendees and Lowell residents can experience everything that Lowell’s arts and culture community has to offer.

This event is produced by Mosaic Lowell, in collaboration with the Brush Gallery & Studios, and the Lowell Folk Festival. Mosaic Lowell is the arts, culture, and creative economy plan for Lowell. Mosaic supports arts and culture in the city through the key objectives of economic development, youth development, and equity building. Through this work, Mosaic wants to ensure that Lowell is a great place to live, work, create, and play.

The Lowell Folk Festival welcomes over 100,000 visitors during the weekend and is the longest-running, and second-largest, free folk festival in the United States. It is made up of three days of traditional music, dance, craft demonstrations, street parades, dance parties, and ethnic foods. All of this is presented on six outdoor stages throughout the city.

Date and Time for Experience Lowell:

Saturday July 29th, 12pm – 7:30pm
Sunday July 30th, 12pm – 6pm
*end times subject to change based on festival schedule

07/22/2021

You may already know that the Folk Festival has been postponed again until next year (2022). Looking forward to it!

05/13/2020

Lowell, MA. – Out of interest to protect our patrons, artists, vendors, staff, volunteers, partners, sponsors and community at large from the spread of COVID-19, this year’s Lowell Folk Festival is postponed to July 23-25, 2021.
The festival was scheduled for July 24-26, 2020, marking its 34th year presenting the finest in traditional music, dance, ethnic food, and the cultural treasures that make up our diverse community. The decision was made, based on the current Center for Disease Control guidance related to mass gatherings and the current spread of the COVID-19 pandemic throughout New England.

The Lowell Folk Festival Producing Partners struggled with this difficult decision. By drawing over 150,000 people to Lowell, New England’s premier traditional festival supports downtown businesses, serves as the annual fundraiser to many nonprofit community organizations who sell international cuisine, and brings people of all walks of life and backgrounds together to introduce them to all that Lowell has to offer. The Producing Partners considered alternative ways to hold the Festival, while taking precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, but attempts to limit the overall number of attendees and promote social distancing proved impossible. Ultimately, the decision to protect people’s health and safety had to take precedent.

The producing partners encourage festival supporters to visit Lowell once the pandemic subsides to enjoy all the city has to offer. We hope that volunteers and community members who support the festival will instead turn their efforts to helping those in need and affected by the pandemic. At the same time, we hope everyone will continue to engage with us online at lowellfolkfestival.org and at facebook.com/LowellFolkFestival, as we look forward to the 2021 Festival.
The Lowell Folk Festival’s Producing Partners include: the Lowell Festival Foundation, City of Lowell, Lowell National Historical Park, National Council for the Traditional Arts, Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention and Visitors Bureau.

One of the largest FREE folk festivals in the country!
SAVE THE DATES: JULY 24-26, 2026

07/27/2019

20 artists here for the weekend. Come see. http://lowellfolkfestival.org/about/discover/things-to-do-at-the-festival/