Tucson Folk Fest takes over downtown this weekend

One of the country's longest-running and largest free folk music festivals returns to downtown Tucson's Jácome Plaza this weekend.

The 41st annual Tucson Folk Festival Friday, April 10 through Sunday, April 12, will feature 150 performances by 450 musicians — around 50 more than last year — spread over six stages.

The headliners run the gamut from the genre-defining legend Tom Rush to multi-instrumentalists Jerron Paxton & Dennis Lichtman, whose roots style dips into a few different musical pots.

The festival is one of the few that puts such vast musical visions on the same stage, from CW Ayon's gritty blues, to Latin roots and good old-fashioned folk storytelling, mixed in with Juliette Stewart's powerful and nuanced voice blurring the lines between folk, country and jazz.

Here's everything you need to know to navigate this weekend's festival, which is presented by the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association.

Where and when

What: Annual three-day folk music festival that celebrates roots, folk and acoustic music.

Where: Downtown at Jácome Plaza, 101 N. Stone Ave., and the surrounding El Presidio neighborhood.

When: Friday-Sunday, April 10-12.

Cost: Free.

Stages: Plaza Stage, Wildflower Stage (young people's stage), both at Jácome Plaza; North Church Stage, 200 N. Church Ave.; Presidio Museum Stage, 196 N. Court Ave.; Court Stage and Telles Stage, both at 200 N. Court Ave.

Opening night: The Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition kicks things off on Friday, featuring performances by eight finalists selected from more than 115 applicants from across the country and beyond. Admiral Radio, the 2024 contest winners, will perform at the end of the night. The finalists are: Phoenix by way of Utah indie singer-songwriter Ben Reneer; Carlos A Olmeda from Fryeburg, Maine; Great Aunt, the Australian folk duo of Megan Bird and Chelsea Allen; folk-country singer-songwriter Kam Bugger from Illinois; Lane Norberg, Portland's answer to James Taylor meets John Mayer; Cincinnati-based Lydia Shae, who borrows from indie folk pop; L.A. by way of South Carolina Americana rocker Sarah Adams; Colorado multi-instrumentalist Tashi T; The Brothers Reed, an Oregon bluegrass duo with a funny bone. 

Et cetera: The Agave Heritage Festival, also happening this weekend, will host "Spirit of Sonora at the Tucson Folk Festival" from 6-8 p.m. Friday with live music, artisan vendors and bacanora and sotol tastings paired with regional foods at Jácome Plaza. It's free and open to the public.   

The schedule

Jácome main stage

• Saturday: Noon, Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo High School; Baba Marimba, 1 p.m.; Engel Indo & the Tucson All Star Ensemble, 2; Admiral Radio, 3; The Brothers Reed, 4; Rising Sun Daughter, 5; songwriting competition runner-up, 6; Jerron Paxton & Dennis Lichtman, 7; headliner Tom Rush, 8
• Sunday: Ryanhood, 11:30 a.m.; Gabrielle Pietrangelo, 12:30 p.m.; Grupo Tradiciones, 1; Cat Mountain, 2; Remi Goode, 3; Sparrows & the Last Train, 3; CQ Ayon, 5; Dorsten, 6; Tow'rs, 7

North Church Stage

• Saturday: Arizona Balalaika Orchestra, noon; Bolero Jonze, 12:30 p.m.; Ruta Verbena, 1; Southbound Pilot, 1:30; smootmahooty 2; The Dry Wash Anglers, 2:30; Barnaby and the Butcher, 3; Baja Caravan, 3:30; Chick Blundy & The Tryin' Times, 4; Roth D'lux, 5; Kevin Pakulis Band, 6; David Huckfelt & Friends, 7
• Sunday: Mariachi Nuevo Azteca, 11:30 a.m.; The Fretbenders, noon; Klezmerkaba, 12:30 p.m. EarthPicks of Cochise County, 1; Rave Review, 1:30; Mustang Corners, 2; The Out of Kilters, 2:30; Lizzie Oakwood, 3; Hank Abbey & The Pearl Snaps 3:30; Ripatti Rose Band, 4; Laura Jean Band, 4:30; The Arnold/Klingenfus Ensemble, 4; Mark Insley and the Broken Angels, 6; Tucson Contra Dance, 7

Presidio Museum Stage

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• Saturday: Eb's Camp Cookin, noon; John McGill with Whiskey & Honey, 12:30 p.m.; Ice-9, 1; Carlos Angeles Olmeda, 1:30; Don Armstrong and the Whiskeypalians, 2; Heather Hardy, 2:30; Brian Fate, 3; The Steady Kind, 3:30; Mean Irene, 4; Eric Schaffer & The Other Troublemakers, 4:30; Chris Baron and Many Secrets, 5:30
• Sunday: Brett Dooley, 11:30 a.m.; Blue Prairie Dogs, noon; Music These Days, 12:30 p.m.; Couldn't Be Happiers, 1; Darrell Elmer Rodgers and the Recliners, 1:30; The Wally Lawder Experience, 2; The Colin Trio, 2:30; Frankly Scarlett, 3; Juliette Stewart, 3:30; Leila Lopez, 4; The Heart Collectors, 4:30; The McCallion Band, 5:30

Court Stage

•  Saturday: Naomi Vernon, noon; Tom Walter, 12:30 p.m.; Abby K, 1; Christine Santelli and Heather "Lil Mama" Hardy, 1:30; Robby Roberson, 2; WomanSong, 2:30; JC & Laney, 3; Ryan David Orr, 3:30; Brittany Jean, 4; Teodoro Ted Ramirez, 5; The Glass Hours, 6
• Sunday: Annie & Jonny Rosen, 11:30 a.m.; Rebekah Rolland, noon; Determined Luddites, 12:30 p.m.; Great Aunt, 1; Mike Berman, 1:30; Koda Krause, 2; Annie Anna, 2:30; Secret Harbor 3; Corrie Lynn Green, 3:30; Madeleine Kelson, 4; Don Simpson 4:30; Act 3, 5; Ten Dollar Wedding 6

Telles Stage

• Saturday: Austin B. Sweeney, noon; The Odd Birds, 12:30 p.m.; Annie English, 1; Arielle Silver, 1:30; Nancy Elliott, 2; Salinas Road, 2:30; Megan and Shane 3; Eric Douglas, 3:30; Brown Mountain Lightning Bugs, 4; Daniel Bracken, 4:30; Fox and Bones 5; Eric Ramsey, 6
• Sunday: Sandy Hathaway, 11:30 a.m.; String Cheese, noon; Humanjones Review, 12:30 p.m.; Torie Parks, 1; Fresh Apples, 1:30; Peter, Paul and Mary Remembered, 2; Peter Dalton Ronstadt, 2:30; Alison Wahl, 3; Dharmapoke, 3:30; Kam Bugger, 4; Ryand David Green, 4:30; Jeremy Gilliam of Grand Dorado, 5; Ron Pandy & the Wildpitch Band, 6

Wildflower Stage

• Saturday: Jam Pak Blues 'N' Grass Neighborhood Band, noon; Songwriters in the Round, 1 and 2; Bruce Phillips Family Show, 3; Jam Pak — Blue Genes, 4; Ayla Moreno, 4:30; Birdie Nichols, 5; Lynnea Morales, 5:30; Stella Eftekar, 6
• Sunday: Jam Pak — The World Bees, 11:30 a.m.; Tyson Krauss, noon; Sophia Schoeberle, 12:30 p.m.; John Collins, 1; Asa Madden, 1:30; Admiral Radio Family Show, 2; Jam Pak — "603," 3; Maya McLeod, 3:30; Claire Wertenberger, 4; Micah, 4:30; Pioneer Anderson, 5; Gwen Ryan, 5:30; Kaia & Micah, 6

Some dos and 'don't even think about its'

• Bring your four-legged friends; dogs are welcome. But make sure to exercise caution. The festival usually brings in 7,000 to 8,000 people and the day can be long and hot. Use common sense and courtesy to ensure your dog's and the public's comfort.
• The festival is a free speech space, but those seeking petitions must remain outside of the stage and vendor areas per city ordinance. Anyone caught trying to snag signatures in the restricted areas will be asked to leave or if necessary, told to leave. 
• Leave your cooler of adult beverages at home. There are alcohol vendors on site and designated areas for consumption in the food vendor areas. Alcohol sales provide funding for the festival so that admission can remain free.

Voices from festivals past

Just how great is the Tucson Folk Festival? Here's what some folks who've played past festivals had to say, as reported by the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association:

Grace Rolland of Rising Sun Daughter: “Tucson is such a surge of warmth, welcome, good times and friendship. It's hard not to have a great time whenever I come here.”

Gabe Lehrer with Remi Goode: “Remi and I both grew up in Tucson. ... Tucson is the best and we have missed the mountains and the people ever since we left.”

CW Ayon: “This will be my very first folk festival. I’ve played many bar gigs and blues festivals before. I’m extremely proud and humbled to be a part of this year’s music.”

Admiral Radio's Becca Smith: “As soon as we arrived in Tucson, we could feel an energy that was totally unique and that was only amplified by the time we got to the festival. We immediately felt like we belonged to that community. ... Strangers turned into friends turned into family. Returning to Tucson every April for the fest has absolutely become one of our favorite parts of the year. We truly feel at home there and while we never had a ‘personal’ connection to Tucson before, now it's all personal.”

By the numbers

This year, the festival received more than 400 artist applications representing 128 cities and 36 states from people interested in performing. Just over a fourth of those made the cut.

• 47% of selected acts are from the Tucson area

• 34% are from outside Arizona

• 14% come from the Phoenix area

• 3% represent international performers