MUSIC

17th Annual New Bedford Summerfest Folk Festival July 6-8

New Bedford, MA. – The 2012 Greater New Bedford Summerfest Folk Festival will feature the best in contemporary, traditional and Celtic folk music from Friday July 6 through Sunday July 8, 2012 in the Whaling National Historical Park in New Bedford, Massachusetts. The Summerfest is an affordable destination for families seeking a fun-filled weekend.

Featured among the nearly fifty musical acts are Peter Yarrow, Patty Larkin, Catie Curtis, Melissa Ferrick, Garnet Rogers, Peter Mulvey, Pete and Maura Kennedy, Dala, Annalivia, Zoë Lewis, Jeremy Kittel and Nathaniel Smith, Cassie and Maggie MacDonald, The Boxcar Lilies and Seth Glier. Situated in the city’s beautiful National Park, the New Bedford Summerfest has gained a reputation as one of the finest folk festivals in the country. The festival also features a high quality crafts show with over ninety juried, handmade crafts for sale at affordable prices. Food will also be available including the justifiably world famous New Bedford scallops. Since Summerfest is a family festival, a children’s activities area will also be featured.

The festival opens on Friday evening, July 6th with a special evening concert featuring Peter Yarrow, Annalivia and Women in Docs. Peter Yarrow’s talents as a creative artist—both with the legendary trio Peter, Paul & Mary and as a solo performer—are frequently directed at using music to convey a message of humanity and caring. His gift for songwriting has produced some of the most moving songs from Peter, Paul & Mary, including “Puff, the Magic Dragon,” “Day is Done”, “Light One Candle” and “The Great Mandala.” As a member of the renowned musical trio, Yarrow has earned multiple gold and platinum albums, as well as numerous Grammy Awards. Performances by the Celtic-Appalachian group Annalivia and the folk-pop Australian duo Women in Docs round out the evening.

On Saturday, July 7th and Sunday, July 8th, between 11:00 AM and 9:00 PM, the New Bedford Summerfest expands to seven stages in the National Park that range from the twelve hundred seat “Custom House Stage” to the intimacy of a sixty seat “Meet the Performer” area and a “Southcoast Musician Stage” featuring the best of local New Bedford musical talent. An array of well-known and emerging artists will be featured on all seven stages over the weekend.

The lineup of performers is as follows: Molly Andrews, Annalivia, Claudine Arcand, Jim and Cindy Bean, Amy Black, Jeff Black, Benoit Bourque and Son, The Boxcar Lilies, Andrew Calhoun, Catie Curtis, Dala, Jeff Davis, The Deadly Gentlemen, John Dipper, Seth Glier, Melissa Ferrick, Bob Franke, Livio Guardi, Dave Gunning, Pete and Maura Kennedy, Jeremy Kittel, Patty Larkin, Zoë Lewis, Joel Mabus, Cassie and Maggie MacDonald, Rod MacDonald, Peter Mulvey, Chris Pahud, Raz de Marée, Ian Robb, John Roberts, Garnet Rogers, Hiroya Tsukamoto, Nathaniel Smith, Art Tebbetts, Women in Docs and Peter Yarrow. All performers are subject to change.

The special Summerfest fundraising concert featuring Peter Yarrow, Annalivia and Women in Docs begins Friday, July 6 at 6:30PM. Tickets are $15. Weekend festival hours are Saturday and Sunday, July 7 and 8 from 11:00AM to 9:00PM at $20/day (available on site only); Weekend Pass (Saturday and Sunday only) at $25 advance/ $30 gate.

Concert tickets and weekend passes can be purchased at http://www.newbedfordsummerfest.com/tickets.html
Become a Facebook fan of the New Bedford Summerfest at http://www.facebook.com/SummerfestNewBedford

Sponsors for the Summerfest include, in part, The City of New Bedford, New Bedford Economic Development Council, New Bedford Whaling National Historical Park, SouthCoast Media Group and Community Foundation of Southeastern Massachusetts. The New Bedford Summerfest is supported in part by grants from the Cultural Councils of New Bedford, Dartmouth, Fairhaven, Mattapoisett and Marion, local agencies which are supported by the Massachusetts Cultural Council, a state agency.