DelawareScene: Delmarva Folk Festival @ 352 Downs Chapel Rd

Delmarva Folk Festival

Delaware Friends of Folk are excited to announce the lineup for the 35th annual Delmarva Folk Festival. The outdoor Festival will be held Friday and Saturday, October 16 and 17, at the original Festival site on Downs Chapel Road near Hartly, Del. Friday will feature the finals of the 20th annual Delmarva Folk Heroes contest and Saturday provides a rich lineup of folk, blues, old-time, and bluegrass, along with special kids activities and craft and food vendors featuring beer from local brewers. Rough camping and RV sites are available on the Festival website.

Artists from Delmarva, Washington, DC, Maryland, and beyond will take the stage during the weekend. Current Delmarva Folk Hero Jean Bayou begins the Festival as she hosts the finals of the 20th annual Folk Heroes contest beginning at 7 pm Friday, October 16. Six acts chosen over the summer will perform, and the audience that evening will vote to select the new Delmarva Folk Hero. Finalists include Rebecca Berlin, Roadside Rhythms, Ann Ramsey, Treefolk w/ Mulch, The Long and The Short, and Hellabore Holler.

The music resumes Saturday, October 17 at noon with a set from the newly minted Delmarva Folk Hero and Newark singer-songwriter Skyler Cumbia will follow at 12:30. Annapolis-based singer-songwriter Meg Murray will play at 1 pm with acoustic blues master Chris English taking the stage at 2 pm. The afternoon session concludes with a 3 pm set of klezmer and traditional music from Baltimore’s 27th St. Klezmer Band.

The main stage takes an hour break at 4 pm but there’s plenty to do, including a workshop led by members of Wicked Sycamore. Folks can visit the Poet Tree for spooky folk lore and a community poem project or check out handmade artisan wares in the vendor row.

At 5 pm Dover native Shawn Qaissaunee and his wife Sharon Sable will bring their Global Tapestry to the Festival, featuring several traditional Afghan instruments along with their usual nod to the great American songbook. At 6 pm we welcome back Nathans and Ronstadt, Aaron Nathans and Michael Ronstadt. They are a dynamic duo presenting “adventurous cello & guitar-based progressive folk.”

Wicked Sycamore take the stage at 7:00. They are an all-female trio hailing from the Baltimore/DC area, featuring Juliette Bell on guitar, Lainie Gray on mandolin and vocals, and Madeline Waters on cello & vocals. The trio plays originals and traditional music, and their sound can be described as “groovy, contemporary folk.”

At 8 pm, The Potomac Pickers present bluegrass that is rooted in tradition, but unafraid to push the limits, they bring a fearless, hard-driving sound. Eddie Lightner leads the band on mandolin and vocals and is joined by Jordan Thompson on banjo and vocals, Gage Stephens on guitar and vocals, and Chris Blauciak on upright bass.

Closing the 2026 Festival at 9:30, we proudly present Delaware’s own Lower Case Blues. With Jake Banaszak playing greasy riffs and shredding on guitar, B. J. Muntz laying down deep, funky slap basslines and soulful vocals, and Tristan Gilbert on drums, bringing thunder and deep-pocket grooves, this band has given the blues a fresh kick in the a**. This ain’t your grandfather’s blues. This is Lower Case Blues—funked-up, fired-up, and fully their own. Having recorded several albums and gigging relentlessly over the years, the band has earned a reputation of being one of the hardest working bands in the land.

Advance tickets can be purchased online at www.delfolk.org. Tickets at the gate on Saturday will be $30 for everyone and admission for the Friday night Folk Heroes contest will be $10 for all.

The Delmarva Folk Festival is partially supported by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com.

SCHEDULE:

TIME ARTIST

Fri. eve. Jean Bayou hosts the Delmarva Folk Hero finals.

SATURDAY:

NOON New Folk Hero

12:30 Skyler Cumbia

1:00 Meg Murray

2:00 Chris English

3:00 27th St Klezmer Band

4:00 Wicked Sycamore workshop

5:00 Sharon & Shawn: The Global Tapestry

6:00 Nathans & Ronstadt

7:00 Wicked Sycamore

8:00 Eddie Lightner & The Potomac Pickers

9:30 Lower Case Blues

LINKS:

DELMARVA FOLK FESTIVAL www.delfolk.org