Staying in town this Memorial Day weekend? You can at least take a cultural trip around the world with the 44th Annual Northwest Folklife Festival, running May 22nd through 25th on Seattle Center grounds. You'll get to enjoy over 5,000 performers from over 65 different cultural communities, all for the low, low price of, well, nothing! Thanks to donations from the community at large, this weekend-long festival is entirely free.
This year, the 2015 Culture Focus is “Beats, Rhymes, and Rhythms: Traditional Roots of Today’s Branches.” Folklife will explore the roots of Hip-Hop in the Northwest with art shows, spoken word poetry readings, a breakdancing challenge from Arts Corps featuring Massive Monkees, and live music from DRAZE, Owour Arunga, and Otieno Terry.
Of course, you can't have a festival called "Folklife" without some folk, and KEXP is proud to sponsor the Indie Roots Showcase. Programmed in partnership with Northwest Folklife and local community curators such as Seattle Living Room Shows, Hearth Music, and Underwood Stables, you can enjoy sets of Americana and traditional folk.
Among the live music, dance, art, food, crafts, and more, KEXP DJs will be on site all weekend long, spinning great sets for you to enjoy! While it's hard to narrow down the jam-packed schedule, here are a few festival highlights featuring artists you may have heard on KEXP:FRIDAY, MAY 22nd
3:00-4:00 PM // KEXP Presents: DJ Larry Mizell Jr. [Fountain Lawn Stage]
7:00-9:00 PM // Hearth Music Showcase featuring Jacob Miller and the Bridge City Crooners, Vaudeville Etiquette, Wild Rabbit [Fountain Lawn Stage]
SATURDAY, MAY 23rd
11:40-12:10 PM // Bleachbear [Vera Project]
12:20-1:30 PM // New Generation Roots Show featuring Max’s Midnight Kitchen, The Desert Kind [Back Porch Stage]
1:00-4:00 PM // Seattle Living Room Showcase featuring The Native Sibling, St. Paul de Vence, The Mama Rags, and Lonesome Shack [Fountain Lawn Stage]
5:00-6:00 PM // KEXP Presents: DJ Hans [Fountain Lawn Stage]
5:00-7:00 PM // Kinfolk: New Sounds of the Northwest featuring Scarlet Parke, Pepper Proud, Whitney Monge [Folklife Cafe]
7:00-10:00 PM // Prom Queen Heavy Harmonies featuring Eurodanceparty USA, YVES, Prom Queen, and Powers [Vera Project]
SUNDAY, MAY 24th
1:00-1:45 PM // Screening of All Your Friend's Friends, a documentary on the creation of the compilation album of the same name featuring samples from K Records' discography, with Smoke M2D6 and Calvin Johnson [SIFF Film Center]
3:00-6:00 PM // Folk, Redefined featuring Melville, Mindie Lind, Tomo Nakayama, and OK SWEETHEART [Vera Project Stage]
5:00-6:00 PM // KEXP Presents: DJ Sharlese [Beer Garden]
6:00-9:00 PM // Underwood Stables featuring Caleb and Walter, Lowman Palace, Cahalen Morrison, and The Ganges River Band [Fountain Lawn Stage]
8:30-9:30 PM // The Cumbieros [Xfinity Mural Amphitheatre]
MONDAY, MAY 25th
1:00-3:00 PM // Homespun Indie featuring The Elk Tribe, Hallstrom, Joy Mills Band [Vera Project Stage]
2:30-3:30 PM // KEXP Presents: DJ Johnny Horn [Beer Garden]
3:30-6:30 PM // Ear To The Ground: Indie Roots Show featuring COHO, Low Hums, Tango Alpha Tango, and Ravenna Woods [Fountain Lawn Stage]
6:20-7:10 PM // The Cumbieros [Armory Court Stage]
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