The 91st annual celebration of traditional and old-time music and dance takes place Aug. 2-4 at the A-B Tech/Mission Health Conference Center.

The 91st annual celebration of traditional and old-time music and dance takes place Aug. 2-4 at the A-B Tech/Mission Health Conference Center.
“The longevity of this festival comes from the wonderful ancestry that has evolved out of the mountains,” says Loretta Freeman. “You’ll have up to five generations in a family that are still playing music.”
Now the longest-running folk festival in the country, it celebrates its 89th anniversary this year with performances — different each night — at the Diana Wortham Theatre on Thursday, Friday and Saturday, Aug. 4, 5 and 6.
The Mountain Dance and Folk Festival, now in its 88th year, returns to the Diana Wortham Theatre, Thursday to Saturday, Aug. 6 to 8. Entertainers at this year’s three-night gathering include ballad singers, bluegrass and old-time bands, gospel groups, solo and duet instrumentalists and vocalists, clogging teams, buck dancers, flat-footers and traditional Appalachian smooth dancers.