8th Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival at St. Ann’s This Weekend

By on April 8, 2016 11:23 am in Arts and Entertainment, Brooklyn Heights, Events, Fun, Music

Grab your partner! Do Si Do! Down Home Radio and The Jalopy Theater present the 8th Annual Brooklyn Folk Festival at St. Ann’s Church starting today, Friday, April 8th through Sunday, April 10th.  Per the event’s website, “The 3-day festival includes 30 bands, vocal and instrumental workshops, a family-friendly square dance and swing dance, jam sessions, film screenings, the famous Banjo Toss contest and more!”

Highlights include Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Michael Hurley, Spirit Family Reunion, Ed Sanders and Steve Taylor (of the Fugs) Syrian vocalist Gaida and Ethiopian musician Abay Mengiste. Veteran activist Mattie Jones will also teach freedom songs of the Civil Rights Movement.

Sunday’s festivities are particularly family friendly with a sing-along at 2:00 pm, earth-friendly puppet show at 4:00 pm, young people’s concert at 6:00 pm and square dancing at 7:00 pm.

Recent renovations at St. Ann’s have allowed for a second stage in Parish Hall, “room for food, drink and vendors, and new this year, additional rooms for workshops and film screenings.”  The festival sells out every year.  So, check the full schedule and buy those tickets!

3-Day Pass: $85
Saturday All Day Pass: $35
Sunday All Day Pass: $35

Friday Evening, 8pm-12:30am: $25
Saturday Afternoon, 1pm-7:30pm: $25
Saturday Evening, 8pm-12:15am: $25
Sunday Afternoon, 2pm-6:45pm: $25
Sunday Evening, 7pm-10:45pm: $20

 

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  • Jeff Smith

    Yesterday, I and two “associates” passed by St Ann’s, and although its very late, my friends offered a number of artists who could be added to the program:
    (Let’s see what fragment of free speech remains) They suggested:

    Johnny Freedom and his 60’s classic “Ain’t I Right”
    Clifford Joseph Trajan
    Odis Cochran
    The Rebel Son group
    Brutal Attack
    Screwdriver
    Prussian Blue
    No Remorse
    They suggested Jay Miller as the musical director with Ian Donaldson his assnt.

    After I picked myself up from the convulsions they caused, we proceeded to Court Street. But I suggested that, even though he’s an attack on middle American values, that we include Skuzz Twitley in the program and that AS/WS be given a full access pass to the revised event…

  • Andrew Porter

    I was there all weekend, and, happily, none of these crap groups were there.

  • Andrew Porter

    A correction: the family-friendly stuff like the puppet show, young people’s concert, etc., were NOT held in the main stage, but rather in the Parish Hall, where the vendors, food, etc. were.

    Frankly, there were a lot of overly indulgent parents who let their little tykes run around, yelling and interrupting the actual performances. This was reined in when people objected, some of us quite vocally and forcefully. I suspect these are the same parents who let their little ones run around restaurants while others are trying to eat their food.

  • Jeffrey Smith

    OK, I’m sorry that I didn’t mention that you, also should get a weekend pass to the revised lineup my friends envisioned.

    Now for a question…do you know any of the artists they mentioned?
    And you’ll notice I didn’t engage in person attacks. Why is this so? Because I don’t know you. So I can’t be judge much less condem.

    But come on, they couldn’t have Johnny freedom or two cute twins on stage? How ’bout ole skuzz?

    Well because in the Pete Seeger is a god folk scene, there just ISN’T going to be any, political/ideological diversity!!! Ill bet you’d object to the Astronauts doing Zorchy on that stage..And that was the obvious, to any intelligent observer, reason for my submission.)

    Folk music is promoted because its endless Neo Marxist/humanist drivel dished out to,well, morons…

  • Andrew Porter

    Actually, you know nothing, and you’re wrong. Among the performers was 83-year-old African-American activist Mattie Jones, singing Freedom Songs of the civil rights movement. She led us in several choruses of “We Shall Overcome,” all standing with hands linked. A truly inspiring moment.

  • Jeffrey Smith

    Wait!, stop! This priceless. In your political/social cosmology the proof that folk music (and cookies) are not awash in marxist / humanist influence is…a representative of the 60’s civil rights” movement? Amazing! Priceless! Hey guy, who do you think are the Authors of the “civil rights” movement. Well, Keevie Kaplan aside
    they had the entire Moscow ensamble establishing and managing the movement. And you’re side stepping my point. Follkies are hardened social change combatants who never allow a contrary word to be heard anywhere in any environment they control.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    Well you just affirmed my allegations. Those bands are Neo-Nazi, Skinhead, racist, white-trash, just like you.

  • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsiLOnWCoI Arch Stanton

    What was wrong with the civil rights movement, are you against equality? Come on Jeffrey, grow a pair, tell us how you really feel?

  • Jeffrey Smith

    I knew if I mentioned my friends goof on the folk event that it would set you and others like you off…but my more basic observation is 100% true folkies like all of the hard left, and you, have no intention whatsoever of allowing any free speech outside of their voices. The also, as you well know, folkies do everything possible to use their music to advance their radical social and political agenda….and as far as being trash, I think my family has provance far beyond, well, I don’t know, do I address you or Winston Smith?