Florida Folk Festival

Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is home of the Florida Folk Festival, a three-day celebration of the music, dance, stories, crafts and food that make Florida unique. From fiddle tunes, techno contra dancing and chocolate covered Key Lime pie, to the wide varieties of music brought by immigrants, the state's cultural heritage reflects the lives of generations of Florida families and communities.

Featured performers change every year: the 2025 festival will include Harmonic Motion, The Little Mercies, Sinkhole Serenaders, Remedy Tree, The Currys, Lili Forbes and the Funky Taters, Romeo's Tassa Kidz, Cortadito, Ben Prestage and dozens more performing acts. Many of the featured performers will be playing or teaching workshops throughout the weekend.

Experience history, traditions and folkways at the Florida Remembered area, dedicated to the robust spirit of Floridians and those from around the globe who have built the foundation of our state. Meet characters from Florida’s past. Through workshops and demonstrations, interpreters will share their expertise as you explore Florida’s history.

The Festival Crafts showcases the great variety and creativity of Florida’s artists and natural resources. Inspired or handed down by traditional ways, crafters pursue the creative expression of their history and culture. Handcrafted furniture, fine art and musical instruments are sold alongside fine jewelry, functional studio pottery, handwoven apparel and homemade jams and jellies. Take a leisurely stroll through the craft area and watch as artists demonstrate their skills.

At the Florida Folk Festival, you can sit with the masters who keep cultural traditions alive. In jam sessions, demonstrations and workshops, try your own hand at playing mandolin, telling stories or making a pine needle basket. Learn how to collect your family's history, call a square dance or the importance of native plant and animal species. Take a shopping excursion and visit with Florida's traditional and contemporary craftsmen. Then dine on collard greens and cornbread, chicken pilau and hoppin' john, shrimp gumbo, barbecue, curries, gyros and root beer floats. As the sun sets, settle in for concerts by moonlight or dance the night away at the Heritage Stage. At the end of the day you'll have discovered new corners of the state from the people who call Florida home.

Join us along the Suwannee River at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park, Memorial Day Weekend May 23 - 25, 2025. Check out the full schedule of events for specific times and stages at the Florida Folk Festival.