Lowell Folk Festival Features 19 Folk Music Performances from Around the World, July 25-27

The acclaimed Irish ensemble Solas is a headliner at the 2025 Lowell Folk Festival, taking place in the City of Lowell on July 25-27, 2025. Billed as the largest free folk festival in the nation, the Lowell Folk Fest is replete with traditional folk music and dance from across America and across the world. New England’s ethnic communities are always well-represented at the festival, with Cambodian, Polish, Black, Greek, Irish and French-Canadian performers taking the stage.

Solas has been hailed as “the finest Celtic ensemble this country has ever produced” by the late music reporter Scott Alarik of The Boston Globe, who singled out for praise Solas stars Seamus Egan and Winnie Horan (pictured above) for their performance at the 1994 Lowell Folk Festival. A year later, Solas formed as an ensemble in New York City, adding vocalist Karan Casey, guitarist John Doyle and accordionist John Williams to the mix. In 2025, Solas celebrates its 30th anniversary as one of the world’s most acclaimed Irish bands.

Solas line-up at Lowell Folk Festival (l-r): Alan Murray, Winnie Horan, John Williams, Nuala Kennedy + Seamus Egan.

Angkor Cambodian Dance Troupe

In total, nineteen acts are performing at the Lowell Folk Festival. New England based groups include Angkor, a traditional Cambodian dance troupe from Lowell; the Bullock Brothers gospel group from Boston; the Trinidadian Carnival Parade group from Boston; Oghlan Bakhshi and the Turkmen from Rhode Island; and Vasilis Kostas Ensemble of Boston, specializing in the musical traditions of Epirus, a region in northwest Greece.

Edwin Perez and Orchestra

American roots bands include Cajun band BeauSoleil from Louisiana; Crooked Road Revival bluegrass band from Virginia; Edwin Perez and Orchestra, featuring Puerto Rican/New York salsa dura;Native American storyteller and performer Gene Tagaban from Alaska; Lil’ Ed & the Blues Imperials from Chicago; Martha Spencer and the Wonderland Country Band from Virginia; Pan Franek, Zosia & the Polka Towners from Michigan; South Asian Sunny Jain and Red Baraat from Brooklyn;

Erin Leahy of Quebec band Cécilia

World music headliners include Bamba Wassoulou Groove from Mali; Los Ricos, featuring flamenco stars Sonia Olla and Ismael Fernández; Portuguese fado stars Ricardo Parreira and Friends; Columbian cumbrian master Yeison Landero, and Québécois and Celtic trio Cécilia from Quebec.

In addition to music, dance and culture, an enduring draw of the festival year after year is its tasty display of ethnic foods. “Every global food vendor at the Lowell Folk Festival is a non-profit organization, many of them local, sharing the flavors of their heritage through home-cooked dishes,” notes festival organizers.

Planning a vacation? Learn more about the City of Lowell and surrounding cities and towns in the historic Merrimack Valley, newly named in 2025 as Revolutionary Valley. Read about other Irish and Celtic festivities happening in Lowell.