Tuning and Humidity: Caring for Wooden Instruments at Outdoor Folk Festivals
Humidity and heat can wreak havoc on wooden instruments at outdoor festivals – learn how seasoned producers keep them safe, in tune, and sounding great.
Feedback-Proof Folk: Monitors, Wedges, and IEMs for Acoustic Acts
Keep feedback off your folk festival stage with pro tips on monitor mixing, low stage volume, and IEMs, ensuring every acoustic performance is crystal clear.
Mic’ing the Unusual at Folk Festivals: Hurdy-Gurdy, Nyckelharpa, Kora & Dulcimer
Expert tips for mic’ing unusual folk instruments at festivals. From hurdy-gurdies to koras, learn the best mic choices, how to prevent feedback, and how to brief your crew so every performance sounds authentic.
The One-Mic Bluegrass Setup: When and How to Use It at Festivals
One mic for the band? Discover when to choose a one-mic bluegrass setup and how to make it work – with tips on choreography, sound control, and backup plans.
Stage Plots for Acoustic Ensembles: Fiddles, Flutes, and Frame Drums
Learn how advance planning, subtle amplification, and quick resets help fiddles, flutes & frame drums shine at your folk festival without losing their magic.
Callers and Teaching Teams: Training, Scripts, and Consent Lines
Discover how festival producers recruit skilled callers, script consent guidelines, and sync with live bands to create an inclusive, exciting folk dance floor.
Contra, Céilí, and Squares: How to Build Dance Nights Safely
Learn how to create safe, enjoyable contra, céilí & square dance events. A veteran festival organizer shares practical tips on sprung floors, hydration, crowd management, and positive etiquette to keep folk dancers happy, injury-free, and coming back for more.
Session Culture 101: Designing Spaces for Informal Jams at Festivals
Transform informal jams into a festival highlight with expert tips on dedicated jam spaces, clear etiquette, an instrument lock-up, and session hosts.
Premieres vs Tradition: Booking New Work Alongside Old Songs at Folk Festivals
Invigorate your festival lineup by pairing fan favorites with new premieres. See how to balance tradition and innovation with honest promotion and preparation.
Programming the Festival Weave: Balancing Concerts, Dances, and Workshops
Make your festival schedule flow seamlessly by balancing concerts, dances & workshops with capacity-aware planning, buffer times and conflict-free programming.
Mapping Festival Audiences: Families, Dancers, Song-Nerds, and Casual Neighbors
Use data-driven audience mapping to keep every festival-goer happy – identify attendee personas, meet each group’s needs, and craft shared moments for all.
What ‘Folk’ Means Here: Curatorial Guardrails and Genre Boundaries in Folk Festivals
What does “folk” mean at a folk festival? Discover how top festival producers set genre guardrails and curatorial boundaries to honor tradition while embracing innovation. Learn to map acceptable folk styles (traditional, roots, contemporary, fusion), avoid cultural appropriation, align sponsors and media with your vision, and evolve your festival’s lineup without losing the trust of your audience. A must-read curator’s guide for keeping folk festivals authentic and engaging.