Looking for a place to stay during the North Carolina Folk Festival Greensboro, North Carolina? We invite you to stay with us at the Proximity Hotel or our sister O.Henry Hotel in Greensboro. Both are just three miles away from downtown Greensboro! We also have the local’s favorite restaurants and bars in town, plus plenty of amenities.
September 18-20, 2026 | Greensboro, NC
Looking for a place to stay during the North Carolina Folk Festival Greensboro, North Carolina? We invite you to stay with us at the Proximity Hotel or our sister O.Henry Hotel in Greensboro. Both are just three miles away from downtown Greensboro! We also have the local’s favorite restaurants and bars in town, plus plenty of amenities.
Enjoy the NC Folk Festival in-style. Get the full three-day music experience with the included three-day VIP passes for two people. Head back to our gracious hotels after each day of music to relax in luxury accommodations with elevated amenities. Rejuvenate and fuel-up with great food and drinks at Print Works Bistro, Green Valley Grill or Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen with the included dining credit before you head out to a full-day of concerts or get back in the evening and unwind with a cocktail and dining.
Friday & Saturday (2-night minimum)
Enjoy the NC Folk Festival in-style. Get the full three-day music experience with the included three-day VIP passes for two people. Head back to our gracious hotels after each day of music to relax in luxury accommodations with elevated amenities. Rejuvenate and fuel-up with great food and drinks at Print Works Bistro, Green Valley Grill or Lucky 32 Southern Kitchen with the included dining credit before you head out to a full-day of concerts or get back in the evening and unwind with a cocktail and dining.
New this year! Trolly Stop at Proximity Hotel and the O.Henry Hotel transports you from the hotels right to all the festivities downtown!
Friday & Saturday (2-night minimum)
Check into a relaxing and inviting guestroom at O.Henry Hotel after a long day of festival action. Experience our attentive staff, custom-designed, finely crafted furnishings and original art in every corner of our luxury hotel. Unwind with AAA Four Diamond amenities, including an extraordinarily comfortable Magi bed for a great night’s sleep, large soaking tub, afternoon tea or inviting pool. The next morning, enjoy a leisurely brunch at Green Valley Grill with fresh Mediterranean flavors and al fresco dining in the courtyard garden. After day two of the festival, visit their friendly and welcoming bar featuring artisanal cocktails, craft beers and 500 wines.
Experience the NC Folk Festival in Greensboro and don’t worry about a thing! Stay just three miles away from downtown Greensboro in sustainable style at the LEED Platinum Proximity Hotel. Unwind after a long day in a modern, loft-like guestroom with warm relaxed surroundings including custom furnishings, original art by artist-in-residence and AAA Four Diamond luxury hotel features that include complimentary rental bikes for nearby trails and infinity pool with underwater speakers. The next morning, enjoy a leisurely brunch at Print Works Bistro before you head back to the festival.
Check into a relaxing and inviting guestroom at O.Henry Hotel after a long day of festival action. Experience our attentive staff, custom-designed, finely crafted furnishings and original art in every corner of our luxury hotel. Unwind with AAA Four Diamond amenities, including an extraordinarily comfortable Magi bed for a great night’s sleep, large soaking tub, afternoon tea or inviting pool. The next morning, enjoy a leisurely brunch at Green Valley Grill with fresh Mediterranean flavors and al fresco dining in the courtyard garden. After day two of the festival, visit their friendly and welcoming bar featuring artisanal cocktails, craft beers and 500 wines.
Experience the NC Folk Festival in Greensboro and don’t worry about a thing! Stay just three miles away from downtown Greensboro in sustainable style at the LEED Platinum Proximity Hotel. Unwind after a long day in a modern, loft-like guestroom with warm relaxed surroundings including custom furnishings, original art by artist-in-residence and AAA Four Diamond luxury hotel features that include complimentary rental bikes for nearby trails and infinity pool with underwater speakers. The next morning, enjoy a leisurely brunch at Print Works Bistro before you head back to the festival.
Madison Cunningham | Jackie Venson | Susto Stringband | William Prince | Aaron Lee Tasjan | Illiterate Light | Okan | Jacob Sharp | Rett Madison | Victoria Victoria | Bandits on The Run | Tae & The Neighborly | Samir Langus | Florencia & The Feeling | Ranford Almond | Rakish | Leroy Pridgen IV | Brass Queens | Signal Fire | Karla Davis | Bala Roots | Nikki Morgan | Too Phat Brass Band | Folkknot | Abigail Dowd | Tom Troyer | King M Oot & The Leftovers | The Queen Bees | Emerson Brund | Evan Blackerby & The Bandwagon | Matt Laird | D.A.L.I.A. | Ethno USA
Music and dance traditions from every part of the nation are represented, performed by the country’s very finest traditional artists. Audiences are treated to authentic blues, rockabilly, gospel, jazz, polka, tamburitza, cowboy, bluegrass, klezmer, old-time, Cajun, rhythm and blues, mariachi, western swing, honky-tonk and zydeco, as well as traditional music and dance from Native American, Celtic, Acadian, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, East Asian, Appalachian, Latin American, Eastern European, African, and Pacific Island cultures, among others.
Click for the complete line-up of NC Folk Festival Performers.
Sammy Rae and The Friends | Arrested Development | Steep Canyon Rangers | Alexis Raeana | Jonathan Scales Fourcestra | Kelli Baker Band ft Noé Socha | Jeff Sipe Trio | Lora Mouna | Peter One | Dear MariBella and The Pigkickers | The Rock and Roll Playhouse: music of the The Grateful Dead | Dawn Landes & Friends Perform The Liberated Women’s Songbook | Stella Prince | Jack the Radio | Gaby Moreno | ¡Tumboa! | Sonny Miles | Palmyra | Denitia | Thunderstorm Artis | Ethno USA | NC A&T Fellowship Gospel Choir | Sam Burchfield and The Scoundrels | Maia Kamil | Cristina Vane | Chatham Rabbits | Tyler Ramsey | Lizzie No | Ashley Heath | The Tan and Sober Gentlemen | Dustbowl Revival | Oh He Dead | Shirlette Ammons
Music and dance traditions from every part of the nation are represented, performed by the country’s very finest traditional artists. Audiences are treated to authentic blues, rockabilly, gospel, jazz, polka, tamburitza, cowboy, bluegrass, klezmer, old-time, Cajun, rhythm and blues, mariachi, western swing, honky-tonk and zydeco, as well as traditional music and dance from Native American, Celtic, Acadian, Middle Eastern, Caribbean, East Asian, Appalachian, Latin American, Eastern European, African, and Pacific Island cultures, among others.
Click for the complete line-up of NC Folk Festival Performers.
Rated Top 100 in USA for Date Nights & Outdoor Dining
Print Works Bistro, adjacent to Proximity Hotel, uses fresh local ingredients to create extraordinary flavors and creative comfort foods. Enjoy traditional and modern versions of classic dishes popular in European-French bistros at this restaurant adjacent to the LEED Platinum, eco-green Proximity Hotel. The vibrant dining room has walls of windows overlooking the gardens, with outdoor dining on a lovely creekside terrace.
Visit Green Valley Grill, adjacent to the O.Henry Hotel, and enjoy informally elegant fine dining and seasonal food using old-world European culinary sensibilities and Mediterranean flavors. GVG’s wine list receives the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence each year and features 75 wines by the glass. The freshest food prepared by a passionate team, and served by friendly and competent people, is our recipe for a great dining experience.
Make your plans now to join us in the heartland of North Carolina for the National Folk Festival – one of America’s most prestigious and longest-running celebrations of arts, culture, and heritage. Best of all, this three-day celebration is FREE! No tickets needed!
The site for the North Carolina Folk Festival is in downtown Greensboro, and partially within Greensboro’s vibrant Elm Street district. A mix of open air and tented sites provide a variety of performance venues ranging from intimate stages to amphitheater size.
With 30+ groups performing on seven stages, as well as North Carolina Folklife Area, Family Activities Area, North Carolina Arts Marketplace, and Festival Food Courts, the National Folk Festival offers a jubilant array of experiences for all ages.
The North Carolina Folk Festival features performances and demonstrations by the finest musicians, dancers, and craftspeople – with performing groups on multiple stages including a dance pavilion dedicated to non-stop participatory dancing, and a family stage with performances appealing to both the young and young-at-heart. A mix of open air and tented sites will provide a variety of performance venues ranging from intimate stages to amphitheater size. In addition to the performance stages, the Festival also hosts a Family Activities Area, the North Carolina Arts Marketplace, and the Festival Food Courts
Greensboro’s own unique story and rich, multicultural heritage—from the pacifist traditions of its 17th-century Quaker founders to the brave college students who initiated the country’s Civil Rights’ Sit-In Movement at a downtown Woolworth’s lunch counter in 1960.
The North Carolina Folk Festival is a legacy event of the National Folk Festival which was hosted in Greensboro from 2015 – 2017.
Building on the foundation of its predecessor event, the North Carolina Folk Festival will continue to be a FREE outdoor annual event that celebrates and showcases the cultural roots and traditions of communities across our state, nation, and the world.
Background on the National Folk Festival:
An exuberant traveling festival that celebrates the diverse cultural expressions of 21st-century Americans, the National Folk Festival is produced by the National Council for the Traditional Arts (NCTA) in partnership with communities around the country. In 2017, the National celebrated its 77th anniversary in Greensboro, North Carolina.
Since it was first presented in St. Louis in 1934, the National has celebrated the roots, richness, and variety of American culture. Championed in its early years by Eleanor Roosevelt, the Festival was the first event of national stature to present the arts of many nations, races, and languages on equal footing. Some of the artists presented at the first festival are now legendary and the recordings and other documentation made possible by the National are precious. “Father of the Blues” W.C. Handy’s first performance on a desegregated stage was at the 1938 National. It was also the first to present to the public musical forms such as the blues, Cajun music, polka bands, Tex-Mex conjunto, Peking Opera, and many others.
The National’s three-year stay in each host city is intended to lay the groundwork for a sustainable, locally produced festival that continues after it moves on. Including Greensboro—where the Festival will be in residence from 2015 through 2017—the National Folk Festival has been presented in 28 cities. Musicians and craftspeople from every state and most U.S. territories have participated in this “moveable feast of deeply traditional folk arts.” Presented to audiences free of charge over three days, National Folk Festivals have drawn audiences of 100,000 to 175,000 annually since 1987.
Downtown Greensboro is centrally located in the heart of North Carolina and easily accessible from major cities and highways.
New this year – Take the Trolly Shuttle! Go directly to the festival from O.Henry Hotel or Proximity Hotel. Details provided at check in.
Take the train!
NC by Train is an official partner of the NC Folk Fest. Save gas and the time parking and arrive by train!
Arriving by car?
There’s ample parking in decks and surface lots throughout downtown.
Using public transit or rideshare?
During Folk Fest weekend you can ride Greensboro buses fare-free! Click here for local bus routes to downtown Greensboro.
Uber and Lyft drop-off zones will be clearly marked near festival entrances.
