ABOUT US
Welcome to our annual family and environmentally-friendly—and free—Ferdinand Folk Festival! On the lawn of our beautiful 18th Street Park, you will find music, art, environment, food, children's activities and a ton of fun. This amazing event is located a short drive off of I-64!
ABOUT THE FERDINAND FOLK FESTIVAL
Nestled among the hills and fields of southwestern Indiana, the Ferdinand Folk Festival, set in beautiful 18th Street Park, provides a unique, family and earth-friendly opportunity for people from the region to share a day of live music, art, and environmental/wellness education. The festival is FREE and the year-round project of many community volunteers, sponsors, and supporters. Hundreds of hours of labor donated by community-minded citizens combined with the generosity of our donors make the festival a fun gathering for all ages.
Enjoy a full day of live, original music on the NextEra Energy Main Stage, solar-powered by Whole Sun Designs Inc. On the Kyana Woodstock Market Stage, enjoy some of the region's best singer-songwriters. Throughout the park, children activities, sponsored by co-presenting MasterBrand, can enjoy fun, interactive music programs, yoga for kids, a dog and clown show, storytelling, a concert, and much more. Also, surrounding the Market Stage, visit the large and diverse array of artisan and food booths, along with many environment and wellness exhibits and demonstrations in the shaded market area. Special thanks to Best Home Furnishings for co-presenting the festival.
We welcome the citizens of Ferdinand and the surrounding communities to our town's beautiful 18th Street Park. We wish each of you in attendance a wonderful day of relaxation, music, art, education, and fun. Be safe and enjoy your day!
MISSION STATEMENT
The festival’s primary mission is to promote—through music, art, and environmental education—the health and wellness of community. This folk music festival—folk music defined as “music originating among the common people of a nation or a region”—has its roots in several well-received, local house concert series and a desire to share outstanding singer-songwriter-musicians with a broader audience. By bringing people together in a festive spirit, the event organizers wish to celebrate the natural beauty found here, share our neighborly values, learn about ways to improve Indiana's bottom-ranking environmental record, and offer a unique venue to experience quality music, good food, and original art.
MUSIC AMONG THE TREES
The free festival in Ferdinand’s beautiful 18th Street Park features nationally-acclaimed musicians and renowned regional acts. In an ideal, lush setting—a large, gently sloping lawn surrounded by trees—patrons bring picnic blankets, lawn chairs, and an appreciation for diverse music such as Americana, folk, roots blues, reggae, etc. Nearby, on a small, round stage in the heart of a grove of trees, local and regional singer-songwriters play for the art market crowd.
ARTS & ARTISANS
The free festival in Ferdinand’s beautiful 18th Street Park features nationally-acclaimed musicians and renowned regional acts. In an ideal, lush setting—a large, gently sloping lawn surrounded by trees—patrons bring picnic blankets, lawn chairs, and an appreciation for diverse music such as Americana, folk, roots blues, reggae, etc. Nearby, on a small, round stage in the heart of a grove of trees, local and regional singer-songwriters play for the art market crowd.
ENVIRONMENT & WELLNESS
The free festival in Ferdinand’s beautiful 18th Street Park features nationally-acclaimed musicians and renowned regional acts. In an ideal, lush setting—a large, gently sloping lawn surrounded by trees—patrons bring picnic blankets, lawn chairs, and an appreciation for diverse music such as Americana, folk, roots blues, reggae, etc. Nearby, on a small, round stage in the heart of a grove of trees, local and regional singer-songwriters play for the art market crowd.
CHILDREN'S ACTIVITIES
To honor the children, in and around the lower shelter house, organizers offer a full day of fun and educational programs specifically for the young ones, such as a children's concert, live theatre, wildlife programs, holding or petting animals, storytelling, a harmonica workshop, interactive art, a violin concert, an MLK-inspired Dream Wall, and more. Nearby, across a small bridge, is a state-of-the-art playground with a new "musical park", a nearby big-bounce "Playtown", face-painting, and more.
MORE INFORMATION
ECO-FRIENDLY, HEALTHFUL LIVING
The NextEra Energy Main Stage is100% solar powered, sponsored by Whole Sun Designs Inc. Over the years, Whole Sun and the festival have offered a variety of educational, eco-friendly activities such as meeting regional solar energy installers, solar home tours in the neighborhood, meeting doctors sharing facts about our region's air quality and health concerns about Indiana's bottom-ranking environmental record, seeing a new Tesla, enjoying giant renewable energy puppets, touring a tiny house, yoga, a hike, a bike ride before the festival, etc.
MERCHANDISE TENT
The Ferdinand Folk Festival has a merchandise tent near the main stage lawn where patrons can purchase festival T-shirts, posters including the famous collectors' Hatch prints, other collectors' vintage posters, magnets, baseball caps, stickers, coozies, fans, etc. Supporters can also help to keep the festival free by making a donation in a bucket at the merchandise tent or in one of the many large, festive donation barrels throughout the park. Behind the merch tent is an area where the performers may sell their cds and other merch. Special thanks to Woods Printing Co., OFFSET Promotions, All Star Sports, and The Printing Company for the fine merchandise. Thank you also to Southwestern Indiana Citizens for Quality of Life for sponsoring the fans and Bob's Liquors for sponsoring the coozies.
MASTER OF CEREMONIES
From our first year, Bill Potter has been our joyful and spirited MC, keeping the day flowing smoothly. A Ferdinand native and longtime radio and television personality, Bill is the general manager of DC Broadcasting / 101 Country WBDC, one of our founding sponsors. We are grateful for the many ways the company helps to support the festival, including the popular Ferdinand Folk Hours, a series of four Monday evening (6 to 7 pm) radio shows, co-hosted by festival volunteers, that give listeners a sneak preview of the Folk Fest music in the weeks leading up to the event.
VENUE
Ferdinand’s 18th Street Park, a clean environment set amid beautiful hills and trees, features a state-of-the-art playground, miles of scenic walking trails, a disc golf course, recycling stations, shelter houses, picnic tables, softball field, basketball court, volleyball areas, horseshoe pits, restrooms, and ample parking areas. The community owes a debt of gratitude to the Robert and Evelyn Leinenbach family who generously donated the land for community use—green space along with education and recreation, and the Ferdinand Park Board for their outstanding care of the park. We are excited to add this annual event to the park’s legacy of wholesome endeavors—including a beautiful library and the vibrant Tri-County YMCA, both which rely on environmentally-friendly geothermal energy.
DISC GOLF COURSE
Disc golfers might want to begin their day by trying out the beautiful, new course located in the hills just south of the festival grounds and east of the new library and YMCA.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY FESTIVAL SPIRIT / EXPECTATIONS
1. All adults who attend are asked, while enjoying the day, to please set an example for our youth and engage in responsible, family-friendly behavior.
2. Please pitch in to keep the park clean. Please recycle plastic bottles, caps, and aluminum cans in the many designated stations for your convenience, and place compostable trash in the marked containers.
3. Pop-up canopy tents are permitted only along the very outer edges of the lawn as a courtesy to those sitting behind you. Be kind.
4. Patrons may bring coolers into the park, but bottles are not allowed, to protect the children and others from broken glass.
5. If you are 21 or older and drink alcohol, please drink responsibly.
6. Please keep all alcoholic beverages in the concert lawn area, not in the art market and children's area.
7. Underaged drinkers may face arrest. Security will be on festival grounds.
8. The day can also be a fun day for families who own pets. Pets are welcomed. Please pick up after them and keep them on a leash for their and others' protection.
9. Smoking is not permitted on the lawn, out of courtesy to others. Smokers may smoke in open areas above and away from others. Please dispose of cigarette butts in trash containers.
10. If you have any questions or concerns during the festival, please speak with one of the volunteers.
DONATIONS . . . HOW TO KEEP THE FEST FREE
Supporters have several ways to donate to the festival. At the festival, we have eight colorful, large donation barrels, and at the merch tent, there are buckets for donations. Volunteers will also walk through the music crowd with buckets asking for your support. On our website,www.ferdinandfolkfestival.com, supporters may also donate at one of the various levels listed. We appreciate everyone's support.