http://www.kansascityfolkfestival.org/

Born in 2015, The Kansas City Folk Festival (KCFF) is family-friendly, summer-style festival in the middle of winter. Open to the public, KCFF features six stages of diverse, high-quality programming featuring the best of local, national, and international acts. Each year KCFF highlights a different type of folk dance and showcases some of the finest local “makers” in a boutique Artisan Market. Produced by Folk Alliance International (FAI), KCFF is truly “close to home and far from ordinary.”

At the heart of every great folk festival (a tradition that exists the world over) is a connection to a community that extends beyond the music, embraces the roots of why people gather, and celebrates a culture of welcome and inclusivity. The tradition of folk music is strong in Kansas City and stretches back decades to a legendary scene that gathered around The Vanguard coffeehouse, the Cowtown Ballroom, and the socialist-feminist-activist collective, The Old Foolkiller. With a bold vision for the future, FAI looks forward to a day when the music community nationwide will begin to think of folk music alongside jazz when Kansas City comes up in conversation.

Linda McRae is representing the Southeast Regional Folk Alliance Organization at this year's KC Folk Fest