The Lake Erie Folk Festival is our love letter to traditional music in Northeast Ohio. Created and produced by the Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Association, and now in partnership with WRUW-FM, Lake Erie Folk Festival is back on Valentine’s Day – Saturday February 14th on the Case Western Reserve University Campus. 

Lake Erie Folk Festival has become Northeast Ohio’s largest winter gathering of the region’s traditional music community, drawing visitors from five counties and three states to Greater Cleveland in the otherwise dark days of February. Visitors come for the great music, the sharing and learning and to be part of a vibrant community. 

LEFF features a host of accessible offerings, including all-day jam sessions playing all kinds of traditional music, free community concerts throughout the afternoon, a whole series of workshops to suit a wide range of musical interests, all topped off with a remarkable line-up of national and local bands sharing the stage in the festival’s always-popular evening concert. 

There will be music for all ages and abilities — young musicians and those new to the music are all welcome. All daytime festival events take place from 1:00-6:00pm in Thwing Center, and are free and open to all. 

The festival’s evening concert will continue its proud tradition of bringing world-class national and regional talent together into a diverse and compelling line-up, which will be back in CWRU’s Harkness Chapel, a space known for warm, intimate and acoustically resonant performances. This year’s featured performers include award-winning and nationally acclaimed banjo player Tray Wellington and his band, local luminaries David Mayfield and Paul Kovac, virtuosic Italian traditional music ensemble All Boara, Blues musician and folk storyteller Afi Scruggs, and students of the Cleveland Institute of Music. Space is limited, but tickets are available at www.lakeeriefolkfest.com.

New this year – LEFF will expand to two days of events, with an opening Friday night swing dance, planned in partnership with WRUW and CWRU’s student Swing Dance and Jazz ensembles. Like all LEFF events, the focus will be on a welcoming and accessible space – dancers of all abilities should feel welcome to join! 

For updates and details about Lake Erie Folk Festival, visit www.lakeeriefolkfest.com. For more information about Northeast Ohio Musical Heritage Association, which presents the festival, visit www.neomha.org.