Lowell Folk Fest canceled again
Organizers pull the plug due to uncertainty of coronavirus pandemic
LOWELL » When the end of July rolls around, the alluring sounds of world music and aromas of international foods won’t draw thousands to downtown Lowell.
For the second year in a row, the Lowell Folk Festival is canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“After much consideration, the Lowell Folk Festival’s Producing Partners are announcing the cancellation of the 2021 Lowell Folk Festival,” organizers announced in a Friday morning Facebook post. “This is due to the ongoing restrictions for mass gatherings and festivals as well as the continued concern for the health and welfare of festival artists, staff, volunteers and attendees. The Festival’s Producing Partners plan for the return of the Folk Fest on July 29-31, 2022, and anticipate it to be bigger and better than ever.”
The festival, which draws about 150,000 to Lowell in a normal year, was scheduled to be held July 23-25.
According to the Facebook post, the producing partners — which include the Lowell Festival Foundation, the city of Lowell, Lowell National Historical Park, National Council for the Traditional Arts, Greater Lowell Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Merrimack Valley Convention & Visitors Bureau — struggled with the decision.
Lowell Festival Foundation Executive Director Kevin Dwyer said not many people realize the festival takes about 11 months to plan every year, between lining up performers, vendors and staff.
“In the past year, there was a lot of time that we just had no idea what was going to go on,” he said. “Last fall we didn’t know what was going on with the vaccine. We didn’t know about the state reopening. So we lost a lot of time in the planning process back then.”
With no expectation of when the state will once again allow gatherings of the size the festival normally brings, Dwyer said organizers had to make a decision with the information they had in the interest of the safety for all who would participate and attend the event.
There was also the challenge of navigating international travel restrictions and obtaining visas for artists traveling long distances to perform in the festival, he said, something he said would have been a “massively difficult process” and likely would have led to a smaller talent pool of performers.
The National Council for the Traditional Arts usually starts the process of booking artists for the next year shortly after each festival, starting with those that live the furthest away, Dwyer said.
“We find the best in the world and we bring them here to Lowell, and that’s something we really love to do and we pride ourselves in bringing the best of the best to our city for everyone to enjoy,” he said.
In 2020, a virtual celebration was held in place of the actual festival. Dwyer said organizers are still mulling over what they’ll do during the weekend this year, but once a decision is made it will be publicized on the festival’s website and social media.
While two cancellations in a row may worry some about the future of the Folk Festival, Dwyer said he believes that it has become such a part of the cultural fabric of the city — as well as an economic driver for tourism and businesses downtown — that it will be back bigger than ever in 2022.
He said he wants people to know they have a lot of power in determining how big of a return the Lowell Folk Festival makes next year, by supporting the event with donations that allow organizers to make it happen.
Dwyer said he’s also confident the festival’s business partners will come through to sustain it in these lean times.
He also hopes that people who have been cooped up during the pandemic will be excited to come out and support the event next year.
“I’m just looking forward to those days when we can eat pierogis and listen to Saharan blues music and dance and celebrate and do all the fun stuff that there is to do at the Folk Fest,” Dwyer said.