One of the great charms of the Richmond Folk Festival is the ability to see widely varying music, from hip-hop to rockabilly to traditional Javanese within a reasonably constrained stroll. The 2024 edition offers over 100 events from Friday night to Sunday evening promising both the comfort of sinking into familiar traditions, the opportunity to dance to different rhythms, and for the adventurous, surprises that may open new musical vistas.
The biggest change is logistical. The construction of the Riverfront Amphitheater takes out a hillside used in every past event. The CarMax and Family stages are moved up to Byrd Street. The result is either a slightly more than quarter mile walk up one of the steepest hillsides in the city from the Altria Stage, or a bit more than half a mile (also uphill) from the Dominion Dance Pavilion on Brown’s Island. There will be free on-site shuttle busses from the latter, but the separation will need to factor into your day planning. It is a case of temporary inconvenience/permanent improvement since the new amphitheater will be the main stage for the 2025 Folk Festival.
This change makes a set of interest recommendation a fool’s errand. Fortunately, I am qualified. Or, at least, to give some idea what to expect from the five Festival stages.
The Altria stage is the largest venue in the festival. Most of the headliners will make an appearance there at one time or another. The natural hillside results in options for setting up a chair and just seeing what gets served up. There will be repetition of acts, and you will definitely miss great musicians who only play elsewhere. But bathroom facilities and food are fairly close, and the lineup is varied. if there was only one stage in the festival, it would be this one.
The CoStar group stage on Brown’s Island is the heart of the event. It features a more adventurous blend of music in a large tent, which may be a consideration based on whatever the weather decides to do this weekend [latest report showed the rain clearing Saturday]. It tends to have a more intimate, listening-room vibe. In the past, this was always the most eclectic stage. it was also where most of the international mashup sessions took place as musicians with a shared discipline–vocals, percussion, strings–got together to talk, demonstrate and ultimately, jam.
The CarMax stage this year is almost a satellite location, albeit one that also has the craft beer area and the family stage. You can get a fair sampling of great performers performing there; Peni Candra Rini has a set, and Afro-futurist (and Matthew E. White collaborator) Lonnie Holley has two. It’s also ideal for families with young children, who are the target for the bulk of the performances on the nearby Family stage while dad samples some hoppy IPAs. The Family stage also slots in some interesting local acts, sponsored by JAMInc, including the soulful Ms. Jaylin Brown and country singer Ramona Martinez, and what promises to be a memorably blend of Native American pow-wow and hip-hop dancing from Crow rapper Supaman. It is not the most convenient location, but the festival is giving strong motivation for it to factor into your plans.
The Virginia Folklife stage, and the adjacent Workshop stage, tucked in the grounds of the Tredegar Civil War Museum lives up to their name by hewing more to traditional and American music. RVA bomba band Kadencia plays there and does a street performance in the Tredegar parking lot on Saturday. The Legendary Ingramettes, a longtime festival favorite, make their only appearance there on Sunday. Washington, DC-based Malian n’goni master Cheick Diabate is also on the bill. It is one of the smaller stages, and while close to Brown’s Island, is easy to miss in transit. (Even more so now that the food vendors are dispersed to other stages, and the craft vendors are all up the hill at the CarMax location.)
Last, and certainly not least, is the Dominion Dance Pavilion. That tent, with its huge dance floor, is a party. Every band that plays dance music, whether the zydeco of Sheryl Comier, the go-go of Trouble Funk, or the Jimi Hendrix-laced Tuareg of Bombino, does not just entertain the audience but enlist them. There is no better place to stop in for a recharge. And, with apologies to the other final performers, there is no better place to close out the 20th anniversary of the Richmond Folk Festival as the autumn sun sets and the last embers of a memorable weekend burn brightest.
Or maybe there is. But that is an experiment I have never run.
From the organizers:
Changes to the 2024 Richmond Folk Festival Site – SEE ABOVE MAP
- The newest festival field, at the corner of 2nd and Byrd Streets, will include the CarMax Stage, the Family Area, the Crafts Marketplace, and a Performance Food Group Food Court.
- The Virginia Folklife Area and Center for Cultural Vibrancy Stage is moving back to a familiar place tucked into the historic cobblestones off Tredegar Street near 5th Street.
The Dominion Energy Dance Pavilion and CoStar Group Stage remain on Brown’s Island, and the Altria Stage will still be on the sloping Tredegar Green.
Also new this year, due to the size of the site, Venture Richmond will be running FREE ON-SITE shuttle buses. The two pick-up/drop-off points are located on the map, one at 2nd & Byrd, the other on Tredegar between 5th & 7th Streets.
https://www.richmondfolkfestival.org/site-map
Satellite Parking and Shuttle from Dogwood Dell
Off-site parking is available at Dogwood Dell SATURDAY AND SUNDAY only. The Dogwood Dell parking area entrance is located off of Park Drive in Richmond, 23220. The shuttle bus will take you to Byrd St within the festival site. Buses run ROUGHLY every 30 minutes.
Saturday, Sept. 28 – 11:45 am–10:00 pm
Sunday, Sept. 29 – 11:45 am–7:00 pm
Cost: $5 per adult roundtrip. Debit/Credit Only.
