New England Folk Festival Association (NEFFA)

05/24/2026

Mark your calendars! The 2027 New England Folk Festival will take place April 23–25, 2027 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center, 181 Boston Post Road West, Marlborough, MA. We are aware that Passover begins on April 21, 2027, and have planned accordingly to allow community members who observe to attend. Performer applications will open September 15, and volunteering opens in February. We look forward to seeing you there!

Festival Home: https://www.neffa.org/festival-home/

05/23/2026

NEFFA runs on volunteer energy — and there’s a place for you. NEFFA is more than the Festival! If you’re interested in the Ralph Page Dance Weekend, the Thursday Contra Series, Community Stewardship conversations, or in learning about the other things that NEFFA does, contact [email protected] for more information.

You can click the Volunteer Signups button on our Volunteer page to add your email to our database so you’ll be the first to know when volunteer signups open for 2027. Whether you have a few hours or a few weekends, volunteers can earn full or partial Festival admission — and you’ll be part of what makes NEFFA happen. Find out more and sign up at neffa.org/volunteer. Volunteering is fun!

Sign Up to Volunteer: https://www.neffa.org/volunteer/

05/22/2026

Dear NEFFA Community,

NEFFA’s annual Festival is one of the highlights of our year, and we are grateful to the thousands of performers, volunteers, and attendees who make it possible. This year, several incidents were reported involving inappropriate behavior on the dance floor. In our Code of Conduct we say that "we aim to create inclusive, safe, and welcoming events", so these reports are being taken very seriously. Our Incident Response Team — consisting of NEFFA’s President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Program Chair, Arrangements Chair, and Safety Chair — is reviewing each incident and will follow up with those who came forward.

These incidents are not isolated. The results of our 2024 Community Survey (https://www.neffa.org/community-survey-results/) included multiple responses describing similar experiences — unwanted touching, repeated requests to dance after being declined, and other behavior that made people feel less than fully respected. We hear you, and we are committed to improving the situation.

In a different question on the same survey, 79% of respondents said that harassment or inappropriate behavior was “not at all concerning” for NEFFA. This suggests that people who have not themselves experienced inappropriate behavior are not aware that others experience it. We are sharing these concerns with our community to raise this awareness.

If you experienced something at this year’s Festival that you have not yet reported, it is not too late. You can reach me personally at [email protected], or raise your concerns with any member of our Incident Response Team.

NEFFA’s Community Stewardship Committee is continuing its work following the community survey presented at NEFFA 2026. Upcoming activities will include community conversations on topics including safety, belonging, and etiquette on the dance floor. Sign up to be notified with the Join the Conversations link here: https://forms.gle/UN4fQq4cgSkLMJNH7 and select NEFFA norms and etiquette for this discussion.

Thank you for being part of our community and for helping us hold it to the standard it deserves.

Jonathan Young
NEFFA President
On behalf of the Incident Response Team

NEFFA Code of Conduct: https://www.neffa.org/code-of-conduct/

05/21/2026

For several years now, NEFFA has been considering how best to nurture and develop the community that is so central to our mission. In 2024, we conducted a wide-ranging community survey, in partnership with Think Again consultants. At the 2026 Festival, we presented the results of that survey and began to open up this conversation to our wider community. Our Community Stewardship Committee now has a webpage with the video of that presentation, the slides from the session, a summary of the survey report, more about the CSC, and a signup form to join the conversation. Click the link below to learn more about NEFFA Community Stewardship and the Community Survey and let us know if you would like to get more involved in this work!

NEFFA Community Survey Results: https://www.neffa.org/community-survey-results/

05/20/2026

Miss a session at this year’s Festival — or want to relive a favorite moment? NEFFA’s video archive on Vimeo now has over 500 videos, and the 2026 Festival Seminar Room recordings are now available in a dedicated Vimeo showcase. The Seminar Room livestream ran Friday 7–10pm, Saturday 10am–10pm, and Sunday 10am–5pm, capturing concerts and special sessions including the NEFFA Community Survey and the Annual General Meeting. You can see what was recorded at https://mobile.neffa.org/ by choosing Select locations>Seminar Room.

Visit our NEFFA Videos Quick Start page (https://www.neffa.org/neffa-videos-quick-start/) to find your way around the archive and watch the 2026 Festival recordings from the comfort of your computer or tablet.

NEFFA 2026 Video Showcase: https://vimeo.com/showcase/12240406/

04/27/2026

Many thanks to Ryan Malyar of WMCT-TV for this wonderful mini-documentary of NEFFA! Please share.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1GUcg2wjB7/?mibextid=wwXIfr

04/26/2026

Thanks to Ryan Malyar of WMCT-TV for spending his afternoon at the Festival and producing this great piece for Marlborough cable TV!

The New England Folk Festival comes to Marlborough

04/19/2026

Festival Ride-share and Room-share:

As the NEFFA Festival returns to Marlborough, we understand that the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center is not easily accessible except by car. In addition to that, parking is at a premium, so we encourage people to carpool. NEFFA is not in a position to facilitate rides or set up official carpools, nor to facilitate rooms or official arrangements. However, we have set up two spreadsheets where folks needing rides or rooms may be able to connect with others who could offer rides or rooms.

We hope that these tools will be helpful for those who want to attend the Festival.

Users of these tools assume their own responsibility for making, confirming, and ensuring the safety of their carpooling and room sharing arrangements. You may also find ride or room requests and offers on the NEFFA page.

We expect everyone to read and abide by our Code of Conduct (https://www.neffa.org/code-of-conduct/). The spreadsheets are open to all to edit. Please ONLY edit your own entries; do not modify or delete anyone else’s information.

Festival Ride-share:
Festival Room-share: Festival Ride-share and Room-share:

As the NEFFA Festival returns to Marlborough, we understand that the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel & Trade Center is not easily accessible except by car. In addition to that, parking is at a premium, so we encourage people to carpool. NEFFA is not in a position to facilitate rides or set up official carpools, nor to facilitate rooms or official arrangements. However, we have set up two spreadsheets where folks needing rides or rooms may be able to connect with others who could offer rides or rooms.

We hope that these tools will be helpful for those who want to attend the Festival.

Users of these tools assume their own responsibility for making, confirming, and ensuring the safety of their carpooling and room sharing arrangements. You may also find ride or room requests and offers on the NEFFA page.

We expect everyone to read and abide by our Code of Conduct (https://www.neffa.org/code-of-conduct/). The spreadsheets are open to all to edit. Please ONLY edit your own entries; do not modify or delete anyone else’s information.

Festival Ride-share: https://www.neffa.org/festival-rideshare/
Festival Room-share: https://www.neffa.org/festival-roomshare/

04/19/2026

Personalize Your NEFFA with the Mobile Festival Schedule:

Carry a searchable Festival grid in your pocket with our mobile schedule at https://mobile.neffa.org! Available for web, phone, and tablet, you can search, select, and save events to build a personalized schedule for your own NEFFA experience. You can even use the QR code on the printed Festival grid for easy access, and there is a shareable link to transfer your schedule to a different device. For example, you can set up your schedule in advance on your computer and transfer it to your phone for the Festival. Once downloaded, the mobile schedule will work offline in case service is spotty.

Find the mobile Festival schedule at: https://mobile.neffa.org