April 30, 2002
Media Contacts (NOT FOR PUBLICATION):
for fastest service, visit:
www.sffolkfest.org/Press-Kit
or email: info@sffolkfest.org

Cheryl MacDonald, Festival Director
director@sffolkfest.org
510-287-9095

For Immediate Release:

26^th Annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival
to Offer Two Days of Free Music and Dance

On June 15 and 16, performers representing traditions from around the world will converge on Roosevelt Middle School for the 26^th annual San Francisco Free Folk Festival. The two-day event is, as the name suggests, staged completely free of charge, and all Bay Area lovers of music and dance are encouraged to participate!

Nationally and internationally acclaimed performers, as well as gifted local musicians, singers, dancers, storytellers and craftspeople, will offer concerts and workshops throughout the festival. Family-oriented activities will include crafts and special music performances.

2002 Festival Details

The 2002 Free Folk Festival will take place from Noon until 11 P.M. on Saturday, June 15, and from Noon until 10:30 P.M. on Sunday, June 16 at Roosevelt Middle School, 460 Arguello St., San Francisco.  Food will be available onsite, and there will also be a Music and Crafts Marketplace.

Scheduled concert performers include:

• STEVE SESKIN, one of America’s premiere songwriters
• MICHAEL McNEVIN,  whose songs tell stories of Americana
• THE SHUT-INS, eclectic performers melding traditional, folk and country styles with a taste for the unusual
• community-based WORLD HARMONY CHOIR
• dynamic Scottish Country Dance as performed by the DUNSMUIR SCOTTISH DANCERS

and many more!

For those who want to be hands- (and feet-) on, a sampling of workshops to be offered includes:

• Instrumental music: such as beginning guitar, ukulele, musical saw, and dulcimer
• Singing workshops: such as sea shanties, cowboy songs, Irish sing-along and choir singing
• Dance workshops:  dances of Southern India, American tribal belly dance, Argentine tango and Lindy Hop
• Children’s and all-family activities, such as circus skills, tap dancing and puppetry
• Evening dance parties, including International folk dancing

and much more!

While the festival would be a special event under any circumstances, what makes it unique is the fact that it is an all-volunteer effort. Not only do members of the sponsoring organizations–the San Francisco Folk Music Club and the San Francisco Folk Music Center–serve as volunteer organizers, but all performers and workshop leaders donate their time and talents to the festival as well.

The San Francisco Free Folk Festival was conceived in 1976 by the San Francisco Folk Music Club, which staged it for the first two years at the Hall of Flowers. It then moved to Fort Mason, where it remained for 13 years, before moving to the John Adams campus of City College until that venue became too small. Eight years ago, the festival moved to its current home at Roosevelt Middle School . Between 2,000 and 3,000 people attend the event every year. It takes about 200 volunteers to stage the Festival.

Onsite parking is extremely limited, with street parking available within reasonable walking distances. The festival is easy to reach by public transportation, using the MUNI 1, 2, or 38 lines. The event is wheelchair-accessible.

For a complete schedule of concerts, activities, and workshops, call the festival hotline at 510-287-9095, email us at info@sffolkfest.org, or access the festival’s Web site at www.sffolkfest.org. The Web site will be updated continually as performers and workshop leaders are added and confirmed.

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