2008 Schedule
The Folk Festival will run from 10:00 AM to 11:00 PM on Saturday, June 21, 2008 at Expo NM (New Mexico State Fairgrounds) in Albuquerque.
If you want an overview of everything that's going on during the day, download a complete schedule as a PDF file.
- 9:30 a.m. - Gates open
- 10:00 a.m. - Opening entertainment
- 10:00 a.m. - Start signing up for the band scramble and the kids fiddle contest
- 11:00 a.m. - All venues open
- 12:45 p.m. - Deadline for signing up for the fiddle contest for kids under 13
- 1:00 p.m. - Kid's Fiddle Contest for children under 13
- 1:45 p.m. - Deadline for signing up for the fiddle contest for kids 13-18
- 2:00 p.m. - Kid's Fiddle Contest for teens 13-17
- 4:00 p.m. - Final deadline for band scramble signup
- 4:45 p.m. - Band scramble assignments announced
- 5:00 p.m. - Some venues close for band scramble practice
- 6:00 p.m. - All venues close; raffle drawing and band scramble at Main Stage
- 6:50 p.m. - Hear the winners of the kids fiddle contest on Main Stage
- 7:20 p.m. - Last call to get your instruments from the instrument check room.
- 7:30 p.m. - Evening dances begin
- 11:00 p.m. - The party's over...until next year!
There will be music and dance Demonstrations starting at 10:00am and ending at 6pm. Open and hosted Jam Sessions will be held through out the day, 11:00 AM to 11:00 PM, for all levels of musicians and singers to get together and share a few tunes. We will all join together at the end of the afternoon for a Band Scramble from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. With a little break for folks to grab a bite to eat, at 7:30 PM we will have three concurrent dances to close out the evening with: a Barn Dance, with music by South by Southwest, a FolkMADS Contra Dance, with live music by the Albuquerque Megaband (introductory instruction for beginners at 7:30 PM), and an African dance, featuring African Sounds
Quick Links:
- Morning Entertainment: Some early morning (10AM-11AM) entertainment to get us going.
- Main Stage Band Performances : 7 bands are scheduled from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
- Stage Two: Local Talent
- Demo Stage: The unique and unusual
- Songwriter's Showcase Great local songwriters
- Dance Program Get Moving!
- Jam with the Band! Play along with your favorite bands
- Band Scramble: Here's you chance to be a Main Stage Performer
- Hosted Jams Get in on the fun
- Music Workshops Learn to play a new instrument
- Singing Workshops Sing to your heart's content
- Storytelling Hear a wonderful tale
- Lil' Folks Program Get the kids involved
- Arts and Crafts Learn about making something beautiful with your own hands
Main Stage:
Seven great acts.
Morning Entertainment:
We have five special performances planned from 10-11 AM to help us get the festival rolling Saturday morning. You won't want to miss these!
Stage Two:
There's a lot of local talent here in Albuquerque and New Mexico, and we're offering Stage Two as an avenue where a few of these bands can play and gain some visibility. Come on out and meet the up and coming folk and traditional music bands on the local music scene. Thanks to Michael Coy for organizing this venue.
Demo Stage:
Our smaller "acoustic" demonstration stage offers a glimpse into some of the wonderful musical and cultural diversity that can be found right here in New Mexico! This year, the Demo Stage moves to the Indian Arts Building. Thanks to John Brinduse for searching out these entertaining and educational performances.
Songwriter showcase:
Our alternate stage for intimate performances by local singer/songwriters with their own story to tell. Special thanks to one of our best local songwriters, Dan Boling for bringing together this collection of colleagues for the songwriter's showcase.
Dance Program:
Dance workshops will be held primarily in two venues: The Dance Tent (near the Boxcar stage) and the Dance Building (the Hispanic Arts Building). In addition there will be the two evening dances mentioned above and smaller demonstrations held in workshop tents.
Jam With The Band!
There's a lot of local talent here in Albuquerque and New Mexico, and we're offering Jam with the Band as an avenue where musicians can play or sing along with a few of our great bands. It’s ok just to listen too. Come on out and meet the up-and-coming folk and traditional music bands on the local music scene. Don’t forget to bring your instruments.
Band Scramble:
We're going to close the Main Stage performances with a Band Scramble at 6 PM which will give musicians and dancers of all levels a chance to be a Main Stage Performer at the Albuquerque Folk Festival. The deal is you put your name and the instrument you play (or dance style) in hat, and we'll put together some randomly organized bands (with dance accompanists). You'll have about 45 minutes to put together two numbers and a band name (that's the hard part), and learn the tunes and be ready to perform them on the main stage. This has been a favorite event at the Southwest pickers Santa Fe Traditional and Bluegrass festival, and we've enjoyed it so much, we stole the idea and want to bring it to Albuquerque!
Hosted Jams:
Hosted Jams will be held primarily in two venues: Jam Tent 1 & Jam Tent 2. Most hours there is a new host in each tent. Hosts are mostly there to encourage musicians to pick a song or start a song and to make sure that everyone gets an opportunity to participate. In addition, hosts bring their own unique flare to the jam. Some lean more toward Celtic, old-time or bluegrass, others toward folk or pop or swing. Don’t forget to bring your instruments. Thanks to Blythe Camenson for arranging the Hosted Jams.
Music Workshops:
Participation is the name of the game in these 32 separate music and song workshops. Bring an acoustic musical instrument and/or your singing voice and join the fun.
Singing at the Festival:
There are seven singing workshops this year, ranging from barbershop to throat singing. And of course, you and your voice are welcome at all the jam sessions - no experience necessary. If you want to take your voice on stage, sign up for the Band Scramble!
Storytelling:
This year our storytelling will take place in the center of the action, where the Demo Stage was last year, so no one will miss these great local storytellers.
Li'l Folks Program:
Our goal is to get Albuquerque Singing, Playing and Dancing. What better place to start than with our kids? While all of our workshops are open to participants of all ages, we have set aside a portion of our schedule specifically tailored to getting kids and families started enjoying home made music. This year, we've added a new event to the Li'l Folks program: a Kids' Fiddle Contest. You won't want to miss this!
Arts and Crafts:
Come visit local crafters as they work on their projects or bring your own project and relax on the Front Porch while listening to music. Be sure to see the One Woman Quilt Show featuring the works of Barbara Gary of Albuquerque.