Lowell Folk Festival
Lowell, Massachusetts
Lowell, Massachusetts, hosted the National Folk Festival from 1987-1989—including the festival's 50th anniversary in 1988—igniting what remains one of the NCTA’s longest running and most successful partnerships. With the establishment of the Lowell National Historical Park in 1978, the city was embracing its legacy as an old mill city, and with myriad immigrant communities, both old and new, Lowell made an ideal site for the National Folk Festival.
Now in its third decade, the Lowell Folk Festival has grown to become one of the largest and most respected of NCTA’s legacy festivals, drawing over 150,000 people and generating $7 million in economic impact. This FREE festival features four stages, a folk craft area, a family area, and regional and global cuisines from local community organizations.
The NCTA continues to curate its artistic program and provide production and logistics support.
July 24 - 26, 2026
