2024 Lowell Folk Festival: What to Know Before You Go

The 2024 Lowell Folk Festival is billing itself as "music, food and crafts from around the world, showcased throughout Lowell, MA."

The Lowell Folk Festival grew out of the National Folk Festival, which started in St. Louis back in 1934. That travelling festival was held in Lowell from 1987-1989; it's success begat the Lowell Folk Festival in 1990. Let's take a look at the 2024 edition.

This year's festival takes place from Friday, July 26 through Sunday, July 28. Things kick off at 6:15 on Friday with a Parade of Flags through the streets of downtown Lowell, carried by local citizens who hail from around the world. The opening ceremony is at Boarding House Park.

Boarding House Park will act as one of the weekend's hubs for performances. The Dance Pavilion, Market Street Stage, and Saint Anne's Churchyard will also have live music, primarily on Saturday and Sunday. Take a look at the map below for details.

As you'd expect, the lineup of performers is both diverse and international. From Kentucky bluegrass to traditional Irish music to Mississippi gospel to Cayman Island sounds, there's every manner of folk music represented. See the list of artists here.

Did I mention it's free? It's FREE! Donations are accepted, of course. And you'll want to have some cash on hand to the smorgasbord of global food offerings. Head over here to see what you can munch on, who's playing when, and all the other info.

And if you're looking for more local festival action this weekend, NICE, a fest is back at Davis Sq. in Somerville. Local art and lots of local rock. Get all the details for that festival here.

Not only can you peruse this list of the best North Shore beaches, you can vote for your favorite one!

To clarify straightaway: we're not talking Hawaii here. The North Shore in question isn't the North Shore of Oahu. It's the North Shore of Massachusetts. If you want Oahu's North Shore, go watch the 1987 movie. It's not as cheesy as you remember.

I grew up on the North Shore. Running around Greenwood in Wakefield as a kid, eating my way up and down Rt. 1 in Saugus, hitting the beaches in Gloucester and beyond. So I consider myself a bit of a North Shore expert. More on that below.

In recent years, I've spent more time at Wells Beach in Maine than any of the North Shore beaches. And that's no front to Front Beach in Rockport or Good Harbor in Gloucester, where I recently had a great beach day with my friend Andrea and her family.

It's just that Wells has been my destination more often than not. So I did the responsible thing and supplemented my North Shore beach expertise with a bit of crowdsourcing. That's the one thing Facebook seems to be any good for nowadays.

After close to 100 comments, I ended up with a pretty robust sampling of North Shore beaches. I've listed the alphabetically below, each of the 18 most-mentioned paired with a summer song. So you get a nice playlist with your beach list.

Scroll through the beaches, vote for your favorite, then check out some more North Shore goodies. I have my favorite North Shore ice cream spots here, and a solid list of North Shore roast beef joints here. You know, for a post-beach nosh.

Named for the Crane Estate. So you get the beach, the trails through the marshes, and the Estate itself as a backdrop.

My youngest kid's Godparents live just down the road from Dane St. Beach, so we've had a lot of great family moments here.

Right by Salem Willows. Named because, back in the day, this was the spot that was far enough away from Salem's hustle and bustle to bury a dead horse.

My move is to hit Bearskin Neck, grab a bite, maybe do some shopping, then hoof it up to Front Beach for seaglass hunting and maybe a swim.

Shout out to my friend Andrea and her family for welcoming us to one of Gloucester's best beaches and showing us all the local secrets.

Back-to-back Gloucester beaches? You bet. And there'll be a couple more, too. So wait and see if your preferred one pops up.

I don't love Long Beach as much as I love Front Beach, but Rockport fans will tell you this is the one to hit.

My kids used to hit this one with their mom all the time when they were young. Perfect layout for little kids.

Nahant Beach got lots of love when I asked beachgoers about their favorite North Shore spots. Nahant transcends generations.

Gloucester locals love Niles Beach. Gloucester Harbor and Boston skyline views are just two of the reasons why.

Yes, it's a drive if you're not close by. But it's like another world when you get there. Plum Island forever.

Old school Beverly heads still call it Ober Cove. Another great Beverly beach that got tons of love from locals.

Shout out to my Auntie Carol and Uncle Kenny, two of the biggest beach bums I know. Salisbury has been their favorite for years.

Back in college, I worked a Sunday morning radio gig at a private residence up in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Singing Beach was my post-show destination more than a few times.

Another fave for generations of North Shore folks. I went here in high school, then took my kids here when they were little. You probably did, too.

Here's a Beverly beach I haven't paid a visit to yet. But to hear folks talk about it, it's one we should all make a trek to.

Winthrop Beach gets points for being so close to the city. Accessibility is an important thing.

Another great beach for families. Kids can play in the sand, splash in the water, and watch planes take off!