Kerrville Folk Festival | |
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Genre | folk, bluegrass, country, singer-songwriter, blues, jazz, Americana |
Dates | late spring/early summer |
Location(s) | Quiet Valley Ranch, Kerrville, Texas, United States |
Years active | 1972–present |
Founded by | Rod Kennedy |
Website | |
www.kerrville-music.com |
Coordinates: 29°57′29.2″N 99°13′01.0″W / 29.958111°N 99.216944°W
The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The event has run annually since 1972. In November 2008, the Kerrville Folk Festival and Kerrville Wine & Music Festival were acquired by the Texas Folk Music Foundation, a 501(c)3 Texas Non-profit Corporation.
The event draws around 30,000 people per year. Tickets (single day or season passes) are required for admission. Many patrons camp out on the festival grounds during part or all of the festival.
The festival places a strong emphasis on songwriting, though the performances encompass a variety of styles. The idea behind the festivals is to "promote emerging artists while giving our audience exposure to both new and recognized, seasoned talent", according to the festival's official website.
In past years, the event has also featured well known artists, including Peter, Paul and Mary, Lyle Lovett, Willie Nelson, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Robert Earl Keen, Lucinda Williams, and Nanci Griffith.
There is a yearly competition to discover promising new singer-songwriters called the New Folk Competition. Thirty-two finalists are selected from a field of 800 entries to share two of their original songs in an afternoon appearance on the stage of the Threadgill Theater. From these 32 finalists, six winners are selected by a small group of well-established performing songwriters. In addition to cash and other tangible prizes, the six winners are invited to the main stage to perform a 20-minute set.