39th San Francisco Free Folk Festival

Now in its 39th year, the San Francisco Free Folk Festival celebrates folk music and dance through free concerts and workshops from all over the world. Think of it as “Hardly Strictly,” but without the sunburn as it’s held indoors.

2015 San Francisco Free Folk Festival
Saturday, June 20, 2015 | Noon to 10 pm
Cyprian’s Center, 2097 Turk Blvd, SF
FREE

The festival celebrates the folk community with 12 concerts, and 8 music and dance workshops from all over the world, plus crafts, vendors, and just plain fun for the whole family. All ages and musical interests are welcome. All events and workshops are open to anyone who wants to drop in and participate or just listen.

> Full 2015 schedule of concerts and workshops

2015 highlights include:

• Al’Azifoon featuring Monica Berini and the Zakiyya Dancers accompanied by Al’Azifoon playing classical and modern Arabic music
• Jestival Joke-Sharing Session – After many years dormant, this hysterical event will resound with raucous rusticana and bawdy badinage. Bring your best jokes, stories, limericks and anecdotes to share.
• In Harmony’s Way Song Session – Come lead a song, request a song, or just sing along to drinking songs, gospel songs, sea shanties, camp songs, silly songs, sad songs, or anything else with a good chorus or refrain.
• Halfpence and Haypenny – From Medieval Europe to the back cabins of Appalachia, Halfpence and Haypenny will transport you to another time and place.
• Irish Set Dancing Workshop – Learn the traditional social dance of Ireland, combining interesting patterns of movement among the four couples in each set with simple footwork that complements the different rhythms of reels, jigs, polkas or hornpipes to which each figure is danced.
• Dirty Cello – Starting with a bang and never stopping, Dirty Cello takes you on a wild tour of uptempo music featuring down home blues, Eastern- European dance music, a bit of bluegrass, and some classic rock.