NC Folk Festival to Present The Roots, Molly Tuttle and 80+ Artists
St. Paul and The Broken Bones, The Roots ft. Questlove and Molly Tuttle headline the sprawling Central North Carolina celebration.
The North Carolina Folk Festival returns to downtown Greensboro this weekend, September 18-20, bringing three days of free music, dance, food, art, and cultural programming to the heart of the Central North Carolina city.
Spanning five stages and featuring more than 80 artists, the 2026 festival offers an expansive celebration of music and culture, with performances ranging from bluegrass, Americana and folk to jazz, hip-hop, R&B, global music and beyond. Headlining this year's festival are eight-piece soul ensemble St. Paul and The Broken Bones on Friday, American hip-hop establishment The Roots ft. Questlove on Saturday, and GRAMMY Award-winning bluegrass guitarist and songwriter Molly Tuttle on Sunday.
The weekend's diverse lineup also includes Madison Cunningham, Jackie Venson, SUSTO Stringband, Medicine Singers with Lee Ranaldo (Sonic Youth) and Yonatan Gat (Monotonix), William Prince, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Illiterate Light, Caleb Caudle, OKAN, Jacob Sharp, Rett Madison, Yasmin Williams, Amelia Day, Victoria Victoria, Bandits on the Run, Tae & The Neighborly, Florencia & The Feeling, Ranford Almond, Rakish, Leroy Priggen IV, Brass Queens, Signal Fire, Karla Davis, Elora Dash, Bala Roots, Nikki Morgan, Todd Phat Brass Band, FolkKnot, Abigail Dowd, Tom Troyer, King M Dot & The Leftovers, The Queen Bees, Emerson Brundu, Evan Blackerby & The Bandwagon, Andrew Scotchie, Matt Laird, D.A.L.L.A. and Ethno USA. The festival will also feature special performances and showcases throughout the weekend from the NC A&T Drumline and the GMAJ Youth Jazz Ensemble, among many others.
The breadth of the lineup reflects the festival's mission to bring together musical and artistic traditions from North Carolina and around the world. This year, 44 of the festival's 67 performances feature North Carolina-based artists, sparking a major platform for homegrown talent alongside nationally and internationally recognized performers. The festival expects to welcome more than 135,000 attendees to Greensboro throughout the weekend.
Beyond the music, attendees can explore 40+ food vendors and 60+ makers, along with cultural demonstrations, dance performances, family-friendly activities, crafts and other programming celebrating the people and traditions that make North Carolina and its many diverse communities unique.
This year's festival will also place a special emphasis on dance, coinciding with National Dance Day on Saturday, September 19. Dance programming at the T-Fiber Stage at LeBauer Park will include performances and participatory opportunities spanning Brazilian samba, West African dance, swing, Ballet Folklórico and Latin dance.
Admission to the NC Folk Festival is free, allowing attendees to experience a full weekend of music and culture while also supporting Greensboro's local economy. Festivalgoers are encouraged to shop from the festival's 60+ makers, grab a bite from more than 40 food vendors and explore the restaurants, shops, breweries and other businesses throughout downtown Greensboro during their visit.
Event Details
NC Folk Festival opens Friday, September 18 from 5-10 p.m., continues Saturday, September 19 from noon-10 p.m., and concludes Sunday, September 20 from noon-10 p.m. Festival attendees can find schedules, maps, lineup information and additional details through the official NC Folk Festival website and mobile app. For more information, visit NCFolkFestival.com.
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