2026 Schedule
The Bellingham Folk Festival will be hosting entertaining and educational events during these hours:
Thursday, January 22nd
Friday, January 23rd
Saturday, January 24th
Sunday, January 25th
During those times you can expect a combination of these entertaining and educational elements:
Sessions/Jams (tunes and sing-alongs, some with scheduled leaders, listeners welcome, too!)
Workshops (learning stuff from people, mostly music and dance, some talk/lecture style offerings, descriptions below)
Concerts (performances, some sitting, some standing, some ticketed, some by donation, some free with tips appreciated)
Dances (organized and disorganized dancing to live music)
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The schedule is subject to change at any moment, without warning, for no reason…
events will continue to be added and updated in the coming weeks! :)
Thursday, January 22nd
6pm-10pm - Pub Sing with the Mighty Bards of Menace (jam)
Menace Brewing - 2529 Meridian St, Bellingham, WA 98225
Join us for an evening of social pub singing - “chorus rich” songs led by song leaders with everyone joining in for the chorus with lyrical themes of land, sea, myth, legend, labour, trades, beer, whiskey, loss, love, war, peace, and much more. Genres covered - traditional Scottish, Welsh, English, Irish songs, sea shanties, and ballads, as well as some American civil war and union songs. Bring a song, share a song.
free, all ages
6pm-10pm - Geof Morgan, Louis Ledford, Andy Rick & Friends (concert)
Honey Moon Meadery - 1053 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225 (in the alley)
free/tips, 21+
7pm-9pm - Sami Braman, Allison De Groot, and Quin Bachand (concert)
The Blue Room - 202 East Holly St., Bellingham, WA
Doors at 6pm, show at 7pm, with an opening set from Laurel Bliss & John Clark.
Join us in welcoming the 2026 Folk Festival with a seated listening concert featuring a debut performance from this stunning new trio! Laurel Bliss and John Clark 7-7:45 pm
Laurel Bliss and John Clark have been making music together in their home in Bellingham since 1986. Whether playing Old Time and Cajun music with the Happy Valley Sluggers or singing old Country and Bluegrass gems from their songbooks, they are having a beautiful musical life.
Sami Braman, Allison De Groot, and Quinn Bachand 8-9 pm
Sami Braman has been playing the fiddle since she was 6 years old, coming up amid the music festivals and jamming communities of the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant traditional Old-Time music scene. A member of The Onlies and a frequent collaborator with Willie Watson, she has performed and taught at festivals like Fiddle Tunes, MerleFest, Green Mountain Bluegrass Festival, and Pickathon. Sami and Willie just wrapped up a run opening up for Alison Krauss and Union Station on their Summer 2025 Arcadia tour. She's a tune-writer and honored to present a new project of original and traditional tunes joined by Allison De Groot and Quinn Bachand. Allison de Groot’s banjo playing; simultaneously spacious, detailed and intensely rhythmic, has earned her awards from the JUNOs, Americana Music Award, Canadian Folk Music Awards and most recently the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo. She tours consistently with fiddler Tatiana Hargreaves, percussive dancer Nic Gareiss and the Transatlantic Sessions House Band led by Jerry Douglas. Quinn Bachand is a versatile guitarist whose distinctive playing blend’s genres from Celtic traditional to jazz. This unique artistry has earned him accolades including Grammy nomination and has led to collaborations with acclaimed musicians such as Sami Braman and Allison de Groot.
$15-$20 tickets available in advance here, all ages
7:30pm-8pm - Honky-Tonk Swing Lesson with Heather (dance/workshop)
Odd Fellows Temple Room - 311 E Holly St, Bellingham, WA 98225
tips, 21+
8pm-10pm - Honky Tonk Dance w/ Buddy Mac & His Ten Gallon Troubadours (dance)
Odd Fellows Temple Room - 311 E Holly St, Bellingham, WA 98225
$10-$15, 21+
friday, January 23rd
12pm-1pm - DADGAD Guitar Workshop with Quinn Bachand (workshop)
Welcome Road - 300 W Champion St, Bellingham, WA 98225
$10-$20 sliding scale, all ages
4pm-8pm - Local Folk Series w/ Evan Ingalls, Simon Llewelyn Evans (concert)
El Capitan’s - 1201 Cornwall Ave #101, Bellingham, WA 98225
by donation, all ages
5pm-7pm - All Bangers, All Pajamas! A Fast Pan-Celtic Session w/Pajamajam (session/jam)
Uisce - 1409 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
free, all ages
5pm-8pm - A Wonder of Songwriters (workshop)
Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship - 1207 Ellsworth St. Bellingham, WA 98225
Exploring the art, craft, and community of songwriting through classes, conversation, and concerts! Friday evening January 23rd and all day Saturday, January 24th, 2026.
register here, all ages
5pm-8pm - CJ Helekahi & Friends (concert)
Ono Kitchen - 210 E. Chestnut St., Bellingham, WA 98225
The oral tradition of Hawaiian music, history and story is passed down from generation to generation. CJ Helekahi brings the spirit of Aloha to the Pacific Northwest. Born and raised in Hana, Maui, CJ keeps his family musical heritage alive with his impressive vocal range and pure ukulele sound. CJ’s first CD, Ka Mahina, a collection of original, traditional and contemporary Hawaiian songs, was nominated in two categories for a Na Hoku Hanohano award in 2011. Join CJ Helekahi and local musician Taran Ki’ihele Bowlby for an unforgettable night of Hawaiian music and delicious Hawaiian-inspired food at Ono Kitchen in the historic Herald Building. Featuring hula performances by Kimi Bowlby.
free, all ages
6pm-7:30pm - Jan Peters Presents: A Finger Style Guitar Showcase Featuring Devin Champlin, Dan Carollo, & Taylor Molzhan (concert)
Welcome Road - 300 W Champion St, Bellingham, WA 98225
free/tips, all ages
6pm-8pm - Pub Sing/Open Mic (sing)
Honey Moon Meadery - 1053 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225 (in the alley)
Join hosts Peter & <special guest> for a participatory pub session. As a group, we'll entertain each other thru the sharing of songs. We’ll cover all aspects of life – the land, the sea, the trades, lost loves, the celebration of beer (or mead), and many other themes. Bring along something to share! We’ll have a handful of song leaders present, other leaders can join in, and there will be plenty of opportunities to participate in the choruses. We’ll also have a stand mic available for anyone that wants to be a front and center contributor.
free/tips, 21+
7pm-9pm - Benny Sidelinger with Jeffrey Scott Mack (concert)
The Blue Room - 202 East Holly St., Bellingham, WA
Doors at 6pm, show at 7pm. Benny Sidelinger with an opening set from Jeffrey Scott Mack. The lights dim, and the room fades. A band hovers on stage right, but on the stage it's just Benny now. The ancient banjo begins to hum, then sing, then rip. With fingers moving impossibly fast, the music begins to vibrate and glow. Transitioning to another song he picks up a homemade and road-worn guitar. The slower, heartfelt ballad written for his first daughter is almost a relief. Subtly, the rest of the band adds layers to the sound one at a time. Benny's voice rings out, adding to the echoes of all the acts that have graced this stage. There is distance in that voice, and you can hear the miles and miles of road in the guitar, vibrating like smooth highways passing under weary tires. Jeffrey Scott Mack is a Singer-Songwriter from Bellingham WA. His musical landscapes land somewhere between the dark, evergreen forests of Washington State and the cobble stone riverbanks of the Midwest. He draws inspiration from the mundane moments that unite us all.
$15-$20 tickets available in advance here, all ages
8pm-10pm - Cabin Fever NW Trio concert
Honey Moon Meadery - 1053 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225 (in the alley)
$10-$15 suggested donation, 21+
8pm-9pm - A Wonder of Songwriters Concert (concert)
Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship - 1207 Ellsworth St. Bellingham, WA 98225
Songwriters Concert! Geof Morgan, Kristina Olsen, Elian Carbone, & Marie Eaton.
by donation, all ages
click here to learn more
8pm-10pm - Square Dance w/ Sami Braman (dance)
Odd Fellows Temple Room - 311 E Holly St, Bellingham, WA 98225
$10, 21+
10pm-11:30pm - Pan-Celtic Session w/ Alex Sturbaum (session/jam)
Honey Moon Meadery - 1053 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225 (in the alley)
free, 21+
saturday, January 24th
9am-9pm - A Wonder of Songwriters (workshop/concert)
Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship - 1207 Ellsworth St. Bellingham, WA 98225
Exploring the art, craft, and community of songwriting through classes, conversation, and concerts! Friday evening January 23rd and all day Saturday, January 24th, 2026.
register here, all ages
Saturday morning (time t.b.d.) - Beverly Hoback Concert (concert)
The Blue Room - 202 East Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225
(check back mid-December for the exact time) Beverly Hoback will present a 1-hour concert of humorous parodies, originals, folk songs, and funny stories to uplift you and put a smile on your face. Playing mountain dulcimer and guitar with both standard and DADGAD tuning, Beverly embraces her senior citizen status as she celebrates nature, friendship, and everyday joy.
free/donations appreciated, all ages
Saturday morning (time t.b.d.) - Mountain Dulcimer Workshop with Beverly Hoback (workshop)
The Blue Room - 202 East Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Immediately following her concert, Beverly will present a 1-hour intermediate-level workshop on using a noter to play melodies and do ornamentation such as hammering on and pulling off. Students will learn the song "One I Love," which has been recorded by both Jean Ritchie and Sally Jacobsen, using an arrangement with both Beverly's harmony and one she learned from Aubrey Attwater. Bring your dulcimer with the melody string tuned to C, middle string A, bass string D. Beverly has many noters to loan out to those who don't own one, as well as two extra dulcimers if someone would like to play but can't bring their instrument.
free/donations appreciated, all ages
11am-12pm - Dream Goats Concert (concert)
Northwest Yarns - 206 W Magnolia St, Bellingham, WA 98225
free, all ages
1pm-2pm - Fiddle Workshop with Sami Braman (workshop)
Welcome Road - 300 W Champion St, Bellingham, WA 98225
$10-$20 sliding scale, all ages
1pm-4:30pm - Honky-Tonk Dance Workshop with Gator Boy (dance/workshop)
Majestic Ballroom (Downstairs) - 1027 N Forest St, Bellingham, WA 98225
1pm-2pm: 2-Step & Swing. 2:15-3:15pm: Roadhouse Waltz. 3:30-4:30: Country Swing (4-count).
$15 one class; $25 for two classes; $30 for three classes (student discounts available), all ages
2pm-4:30pm - Crafternoon, for enthusiasts & craft-curious (workshop/other)
Northwest Yarns - 206 W Magnolia St, Bellingham, WA 98225
free, all ages
3pm-5pm - Old Time Jam Session w/ Stuart (jam)
Aslan Depot Sitting Room - 1322 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225
free, 21+
3pm-4pm - Tom Bourne & Friends (concert)
Welcome Road - 300 W Champion St, Bellingham, WA 98225
$10-$15, all ages
5pm-7pm - Crankie Show with Sue Truman, Jerry Gallaher, W.B. Reid, Annie Schermer, Evan Ingalls, and others (concert/other)
BAAY - 1059 N State St. Bellingham, WA 98225
Bellingham Folk Festival Crankie Show with Sue Truman, Jerry Gallaher, W.B. Reid, Annie Schermer, Evan Ingals, Tilly Bishop and others – 5:00 – 7:00 PM in BAAY Theater. The Crankie Factory is Sue Truman (fiddler and crankie maker) Jerry Gallaher (banjo and vocals) and WB Reid (guitar, fiddle and vocals). Their performance will tell stories of how music, dance and craft can have helped our ancestors get through troubled times and how it helps us today. Sue Truman has been making, performing, and teaching crankie making for the last 14 years. Her website, The Crankie Factory, has over a million views and is the “go to” place for information. She has presented and performed in Europe and both US and Canadian coasts. Annie Schermer & Tilly Bishop will also share crankies, and there will be ballads sung by Evan Ingalls and stories by Harper Stone sprinkled through the show. Cost of admission: $10 suggested donation, no one turned away for lack of funds. Sue will also be leading a crankie-making workshop at BAAY Sunday January 25th, 11:00 am – 12:15 pm!
By donation/$10-20 suggested, all ages
click here for more information
5:30pm-6:30pm - Clea, Kera & Cayley (concert)
Welcome Road - 300 W Champion St, Bellingham, WA 98225
Cayley, Kera, and Clea 5:30pm-6:30pm, Elise Scandi Trio 7pm-8pm. Cayley, Clea and Kera have been playing together for years in different configurations, but there is a special delight in this particular combination. Cayley's rock steady tunes, Kera's imaginative harmonies and Clea's low end make for a really enjoyable listening experience.
by donation, all ages
6pm-7pm - Locals on Locals (concert)
Honey Moon Meadery - 1053 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225 (in the alley)
Locals on Locals, hosted by Ted O’Connell, wherein locals play covers of locals, locally, on location. If you would like to perform a song or an instrumental written by a Whatcom or Skagit musician, contact Ted O'Connell for the rules, bylaws, and secret handshakes: capeflatterymusic@gmail.com or Facebook messenger.
free, 21+
6:30pm-9pm - A Wonder of Songwriters Concert (concert)
Bellingham Unitarian Fellowship - 1207 Ellsworth St. Bellingham, WA 98225
Songwriters Concert!
by donation, all ages
click here to learn more
6:45pm-8pm - Mira, Elise, & Pat (concert)
Welcome Road - 300 W Champion St, Bellingham, WA 98225
by donation, all ages
Mira Dickey (fiddle, hardanger fiddle), Elise Snoey (fiddle, hardanger fiddle) and Pat Gunning (fiddle, guitar) bring vibrant harmonies and driving groove to traditional fiddle tunes from Norway and Sweden. By donation.
7pm-10pm - Contra Dance (dance)
Christ the King - 1419 N Forest St. Bellingham, WA 98225
$12-15; students $8, all ages
click here to learn more
7pm-10pm - Buddy Mac Dance (dance)
COF& - 1209 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
$10-$20 sliding scale, all ages
7pm-9pm - Tradwife Strinband/Drag Square Dance (concert)
The Blue Room - 202 East Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225
Doors at 6:30, show at 7:00. The Tradwife Stringband is a quintet of biological women and Moose, traveling the country offering weary souls a respite from this troublesome, wearisome, modernsome world, with some traditional old time music and values.
$15 advance $20 at the door, all ages
7pm-11am - Kian Dye, Late jam (concert, jam)
Honey Moon Meadery - 1053 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225 (in the alley)
free, 21+
9pm-11:30pm - Countercurrent and Sweater Weather Stringband: Acoustic Dance Party (concert/dance)
1212 N State St, Bellingham, WA 98225
t.b.a., 21+
sunday, January 25th
Sunday morning (time t.b.d.) - Children's Participatory Concert led by Beverly Hoback (concert)
The Blue Room - 202 East Holly St., Bellingham, WA 98225
This concert is geared especially for children ages 3-10 but with all ages welcome. A retired elementary music teacher, Beverly will teach easy, goofy songs that delight all ages, with all children present having a chance to come up on stage to play rhythm instruments, help lead motions, or help lead the singing.
free/donations appreciated, all ages
11am-12:15pm - Scandi Workshop w/ Mira, Elise, & Pat (workshop)
Welcome Road - 300 W Champion St, Bellingham, WA 98225
Join us and learn a few of our favorite Swedish and Norwegian tunes! We will teach the rhythmic groove, melody, and tune chords by ear. All instruments welcome!
$10 suggested donation, all ages
11am-12:15pm - Crankie-Making Workshop with Sue Truman of The Crankie Factory (workshop)
BAAY - 1059 N State St. Bellingham, WA 98225
A crankie is a form of folkart, popular in the 1800s, and this workshop will let you make your own version to take home. You can color a scroll that’s already illustrated or choose a blank scroll and design your own story. Next, load the scroll into the matchbox (Sue will help you), and you are all set with an analog entertainment center to take home!
by donation, all ages
click here for more information
11am-1pm - Old-Time Jam with W.B. Reid (session/jam)
BAAY - 1059 N State St. Bellingham, WA 98225
All are welcome to attend this old-time jam, on the final day of the Bellingham Folk Festival! Bring your instruments, your tunes, and your joy!
free/donations accepted, all ages
click here for more information
12:30pm-2pm - Scandi Jam w/ Mira, Elise, & Pat (session/jam)
Welcome Road - 300 W Champion St, Bellingham, WA 98225
POLSKA PARTY! All instruments are welcome.
by donation, all ages
1pm-2pm - The Glory Beaming Banjo with Harper Stone (workshop/concert)
BAAY - 1059 N State St. Bellingham, WA 98225
Performance and discussion of all sorts of banjos and banjo music with Harper Stone - part concert, part presentation, part workshop. Banjos! Performance and discussion of all sorts of banjos and banjo music with Harper Stone – part concert, part presentation, part workshop. Questions encouraged! Harper will play as many different types of banjos and banjo music as there is time for. Banjos with 4, 5, 6, 8, and 10 strings. You’ll hear old-time, bluegrass, Irish, ragtime, classical, klezmer, and more types of music.
free, all ages
click here for more information
2pm-3pm - The Enigma of Blind Joe Death: Harper Stone performs the solo guitar works of John Fahey (concert)
BAAY - 1059 N State St. Bellingham, WA 98225
Acoustic guitarist John Fahey (1939-2001) was impossible to classify. His eclectic music included traditional-sounding folk pieces, Indian ragas, blues, and unpredictable modern works, somehow compressing a whole orchestra into a single guitar with a wistful and mysterious voice. He released his first album, Blind Joe Death, on his own record label in 1959. He started the genre of instrumental acoustic steel-string guitarist/composers and in a sense became the first indie musician while he was at it. He was a collector of 78rpm records and helped to rediscover some of the blues masters who had recorded in the 20s, and bring their careers back in the 1960s. Harper Stone started playing guitar in 2006 because of a dream he had in which he was playing guitar with Son House, one of the aforementioned blues masters, long since passed away. The primary music he learned to play was the music of John Fahey, completely ignoring things like chords and strumming and other such beginning guitar roadmaps, and jumping instead to through composed fingerpicked melodies with complex harmonic choices. A side effect learning these dozens of Fahey tunes was that Harper ended up becoming a musician. This concert will present a bunch of John Fahey tunes played by Harper and rendered as faithfully as possible, and a bit of storytelling about John Fahey’s life. If there are interested guitarists in the audience, Harper can also give a brief presentation on the various tunings used and tips for learning this music and composing your own.
by donation, all ages
click here for more information
3pm-4pm - Cowboy Camp Singalong with Tango Cowboys (sing)
BAAY - 1059 N State St. Bellingham, WA 98225
By donation, all ages
4pm-8pm - Robert Burns Dinner (food event)
Hotel Leo - 1224 Cornwall Ave, Bellingham, WA 98225
Join us at Hotel Leo to honor Scotland’s beloved poet with a night steeped in tradition, featuring a plated Scottish feast, lively music, and the ceremonial Presenting of the Haggis.
reservations recommended, all ages
4pm-6pm - All You Fascists Bound to Lose! Songs of Resistance: Pub Sing with Alex Sturbaum and Kevin Grgurich (sing)
Brandywine (upstairs) - 1317 Commercial St, Bellingham, WA 98225
What’s better than doomscrolling? Community and song! Here’s a chance to sing our way through the hard times, find our empowerment and our strength together. Kevin Grgurich and Alex Sturbaum will lead some songs, but everyone is welcome to add their voice to the collective, join in the choruses and lead songs of their own. Bring your voices, your songs, and your spirit of resistance!
free/donations accepted, all ages
click here for more information
6pm-8pm - Irish Session with Kevin Grgurich (session/jam)
Brandywine (upstairs) - 1317 Commercial St, Bellingham, WA 98225
An Irish tune session to close out the wonderful weekend of the Bellingham Folk Festival! Bring your pipes, fiddles, whistles, flutes, concertinas, bouzoukis, guitars, and whatever else you play tunes on!
free/donations accepted, all ages
click here for more information