This year’s Folk & Roots Festival sponsored by the Sousa Archives kicks off another outstanding weekend of traditional folk music, dance, story telling, and children’s programs for people of all ages. Beginning on October 2 the Foothill Rounders, performing from 5 to 7 at Urbana’s Rose Bowl tavern, and the Eddie Barbash and KASA quartets, performing 5-6:30 at the University’s Music and Performing Arts Library, will kick off the festival’s 17th annual music celebration. Dennis Stroughmatt & Creole Stomp will follow with a performance between 7 and 8:30 at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. Swing dancing with Union Avenue will start at 7:30 at Urbana’s Hotel Royer and the Two Shoes Urbana Revue show at the Rose Bowl between 9 and 10:30 will close out Thursday evening’s shows. All of the Thursday programs are free and open to the public.
Friday’s programming starts with Jordan Kaye’s Django Wrangle at the Rose Bowl and Robin and the Toad at the Hotel Royer beginning at 5pm followed by the Papashoy Klezmer Band at C4A, the Eddie Barbash and KASA quartets at the Rose Bowl, and Buffalo Rose at the Royer starting at 6:00 and 7:00. The Contra Dance with the Firesides starts at the Philips Recreation Center beginning at 7:30. Melody Angel follows at 8pm and Dennis Stroughmatt & Creole Stomp at 9pm at the Rose Bowl. Lizzie No also starts at 9:00 at the Royer. The evening’s music concludes with Ther’Up.Y and Cole Bridges & the Overpass starting at 10pm at the Rose Bowl.
Advanced tickets are $50 plus fees and are on sale until Thursday, October 2. A full festival wristband is $60 at the festival and gets you into all festival venues and activities both days. A one-night wristband (Friday or Saturday) is $35.
All workshops and jams are FREE to everyone and ALL DAYTIME EVENTS ON SATURDAY (before 5:00pm) are FREE. Also all outdoor events (Rose Bowl Tavern and Fusion Festival stage) are also FREE!
Single-venue admissions per venue per day:
- Rose Bowl and Gallery: $25
- C4A and Hotel Royer: $15
- Contra dance at Phillips Recreation Center: $10
- Milonga at Hotel Royer: $30 for dancers, $15 for non-dancers and students
For further information about this week’s music festival visit https://folkandroots.org/ or call 217-333-4577.