Blues, Zydeco and the Peking Opera at Bangor, Maine's American Folk Festival

Photo credit: americanfolkfestival.com

One of central Maine's most exciting cultural events, The American Folk Festival, is happening this weekend-- August 23 through 25 on the Bangor waterfront. This huge festival is a colorful whirlwind of performances hailing from all over the country, with cultural roots all over the globe.

In years past, I have participated in the fest as a vendor. This year I decided to enjoy the festival in a different way-- Sadly, I won't have a booth in the artists' and vendors' area this year, but I'm excited to instead take the time to enjoy the festivities and performances with my husband, Anthony.

To plan your weekend at the American Folk Festival, grab a schedule and check out the performers! Here are a few that will pique your interest:

Rosie Ledet, the "sweetheart of zydeco," is an American Zydeco accordion player and singer, and is among the few zydeco artists who still sing and write some of their own material in Creole French. She will perform on Saturday, August 24 at 2:15pm on the Bangor Daily News Railroad Stage.



The Qi Shu Fang Beijing Peking Opera Company, shown here performing in Wuhan City, capital of central China's Hubei Province, will be showcasing their talent at the 2013 American Folk Festival. They will be on the LL Bean Penobscot Stage at 1:30 pm on Saturday, August 24.




International festival favorite Sista Monica Parker, shown performing at Cisco Blues Festival in 2009. She will perform on the Bangor Daily News Railroad Stage on Friday, August 23 at 9:30 pm.