Tune in: Music and tradition take center stage at the Kerrville Folk Festival

The Kerrville Folk Festival is gearing up for 18 days of music beginning May 22 and running through June 8.

In 1972, husband and wife team Rob Kennedy and Nancylee Davis developed the Kerrville Folk Festival Foundation, a nonprofit organization with a mission to educate the public about the benefits and characteristics of folk music by providing an inclusive community space where the craft of songwriting is shared, respected and supported across genres.

The Kerrville Folk Festival is the foundation’s annual flagship event. At the start of each summer, the festival is hosted at Quiet Valley Ranch, 3876 Medina Highway in Kerrville. This year marks the festival’s 53rd year.

“The community has a lot to do with why this festival has lasted,” said Shannon Holt, marketing and retail manager for Kerrville Folk Festival. “It attracts music-loving people who forge friendships over the course of the festival.”

During the three week-long event activities are provided for all ages with a focus on nurturing and developing artistic expression in a family-friendly environment.

Annual attendance for the festival includes approximately 30,000 guests coming from all over the world. Some stay for the entire three weeks while others only attend for a night or a weekend.,

The Kerrville Folk Festival boasts two main stages, the Kennedy Outdoor Theater for evening concerts and the Threadgill Memorial Theater, which is covered and located in the middle of the campground area. More than 1,500 singer-songwriters have performed on the festival stages over the course of the event’s more than 50-year history.

Tickets can range from approximately $800 for an 18-day pass, $500 for a Half Fest pass and between $36 and $86 for single day passes. To purchase tickets, visit www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org 

LINEUP

Over the subsequent course of 18 days and evenings, music fans will have the opportunity to hear more than 50 artists and acts on several stages in an informal outdoor setting.

The event draws individuals from around the world, as well as day visitors who want to attend a specific performance.

Family concerts are hosted each weekend on Saturday and Sunday mornings during the run of the festival at the Threadgill Memorial Theater. These concerts feature storytellers and musical performances geared toward both the young and the young-at-heart.

To see a full list of musicians scheduled to perform at the Kerrville Folk Festival, visit www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org 

COMPETITION

With a history going back over 50 years, the Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk competition has helped launch the careers of some of the the genre’s most notable songwriters.

Every year the festival receives hundreds of entries for this contest and finalists are chosen from among them.

Anaïs Mitchell, a Grammy and Tony Award-winning singer-songwriter known for the Greek mythology inspired musical Hadestown, won the New Folk festival in 2003.Her album, "Hymns for the Exiled," which was released in 2004, led to her signing with Righteous Babe Records by singer-songwriter Ani DiFranco.

Mitchell frequently returns to perform at the festival, and she was most recently on the lineup in 2023.

“We’re also a discovery festival, and we’re constantly looking for what’s next in music,” Holt said. “New Folk finalists and winners include musicians like Lyle Lovett, Robert Earl Keen, Steve Earle and Nanci Griffith.”

This year, the festival received another record number of submissions as the popularity of the contest continues to grow even after five decades. A total of 1,100 entries have been reviewed and the finalists were announced on April 17.

The 24 finalists will get to perform the two songs submitted to the contest in front of the festival audience and a panel of judges during the first weekend of the festival. From those finalists six winners will be chosen and announced Sunday evening from the Kennedy Outdoor Theater stage.

The competition will be hosted at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 24 and Sunday, May 25 when the finalists will each perform two songs at the Threadgill Memorial Theater.

The winners will then be invited to play a 20-minute set on May 31.

This year’s judges are Adeem the Artist, J. Wagner, Matt Nakoa, Raina Rose and R.J. Cowdry.

CAMPGROUNDS

While many who attend the event come to experience the live music, some also find that the heart and soul of the festival lies in the campgrounds.

“All kinds of activities are going on in the campgrounds,” Holt said. “It’s often a rite of passage for people to stay up all night listening to or playing songs around campfires, sometimes even alongside musicians like Adrianne Lenker, and then watching the sunrise on the hill.”

Impromptu jam sessions can pop up at any time around campfires, there are music workshops for instruments including everything from ukulele to harmonica, guided nature walks, canoe trips on the Guadalupe, Texas wine and beer seminars, Saturday Shabbat services and Hill Country bike rides.

Campground access is included with every festival ticket. A wristband will be issued at the ticket booth at the gates of the festival, and individuals must be wearing a valid festival wristband in order to enter any festival or ranch gate during the event.

There are 108 reservable RV sites at Quiet Valley Ranch. Festival RV site reservations are taken at certain times of year only and preference is given to those requesting 18-day reservations. To learn more about RV reservations or to be put on a waiting list, email rvs@kerrvillefolkfestival.org.

Reservations are not needed for tent camping, although it is recommended to dress comfortably, prepare for rain and bring a shade canopy with resources to secure it to the ground for safety in the case of high winds.

Open fires in the campgrounds should be within fire rings, BBQ grills or other outdoor fireplaces. Large bonfires are not allowed. During a burn ban, only charcoal fires in BBQ grills are allowed. Gathering firewood on the property is not permitted. Fires must be attended at all times and must be completely extinguished before retiring for the night or leaving the campsite.

Every day of the festival a variety of food and beverages are available from vendors. No bottles, cans or ice chests are allowed in the Kennedy Theatre but are permitted in the campgrounds.

Complete lineups, daily schedules and performer bios can be found online at www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org. The website also contains all information on camping, access, tickets, maps and FAQs for enjoying the festival.

This article was originally published in the May 2025 edition of Hill Country Culture Magazine.