Throughout this Memorial Day weekend more than 300 performers will give voice to Florida’s heritage at the Florida Folk Festival, which runs May 27-29. Tickets range from $5-$50, and children ages 6 and younger are free.
For the past 64 years, the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park at the Suwannee River has played host to the three-day celebration showcasing entertainment, food and crafts.
The Department of State’s Florida Folk life Program explores a special theme every year, and celebrates the topic throughout the festival. This year’s topic will commemorate the diverse living traditions of Miami-Dade County.
Madison Carr, a 15-year-old singer from Douglas Anderson, will be performing each day of the festival and appeared on Tuesday’s episode of First Coast Connect to perform an original song titled, "Better Place."
Carr, who has been performing her whole life, says she grew up listening to folk music and certain artists like Johnny Cash and Bob Dylan. She believes that her generation has lost touch with the genre of Folk music and she hopes that this will change.
“Folk music just really takes me back to a happy place,” Carr said. “And Folk music has definitely lost popularity amongst my age group, so if we can bring that back, that’s what I’m trying to do.”
