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Letter from the President
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According to our by-laws, we aim "to preserve folk traditions in New England and elsewhere, to encourage the continuance and further development of a living folk culture, and to promote and encourage high standards of quality and performance in the folk arts".
How do we do this? By running a Festival every April!
Planning for the eighty-second annual New England Folk Festival is well under way, with 12 parallel stages of lively music, zesty dancing, participatory singing, and sore feet! The location is again at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center in
Marlborough, Massachusetts, and hotel rooms are open for general reservations (see below). If you haven't marked your calendars, the dates are April 24-26.
A thousand thanks to the board members and committee folks who volunteer throughout the year to bring this event together. Thanks to the volunteers who return each year. Thanks to photographers Alan Duffy, Sue Flint, Bill Quern, and Dana Sussman for allowing
us to use their photos for our website, program book and publicity materials. Thanks to the program committee for assembling the performer applications into an exciting program. Thank you for returning year after year to unite with old and new friends.
Our simple aim for the upcoming Festival is to create a weekend filled with fun and joy. Together we will again create a magical place and time where we celebrate the many folk cultures of New England and the world!
P.S. NEFFA runs on volunteers. You can help make NEFFA happen, meet wonderful new friends, and earn free admission all at the same time! Sign up now at
https://volunteer.neffa.org/ to
be notified when volunteer registration opens for the best chance of getting the time slots and jobs you prefer.
--- Jonathan Young, NEFFA President
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NEFFA attracts over 2000 attendees from all over the country and overseas and features close to 1000 performers. The Festival is unique because of the participatory nature of the events. Not only are there concerts and performances, but there are also opportunities
for people of all ages and backgrounds to engage with music, dance, and folk arts culture. There is music everywhere! You will find jam sessions, instrument workshops, group singing, and traditional music throughout the Festival.
The Festival is known for its varied social dance program, which includes: Contra and traditional square dancing, international folk dancing, couple dancing, waltzing, English country, Scandinavian, and more. There are plenty of introductory workshops, as well
as sessions geared towards intermediate and advanced dancers. A particular favorite is the no walk-through contra dance medley, which originated at the NEFFA Festival.
2026 is our 82nd annual Festival and we hope that you will join us!
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Book
your room for NEFFA today! As in previous years, NEFFA has arranged a group rate for the Royal Plaza Best Western (available through March 23), and we expect to fill our room block for the weekend. Go to the
Lodging
page on the NEFFA website for complete details and instructions.
Please book all rooms online using only the link on our
Lodging
page. Please do not call the hotel directly or use other hotel booking services.
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Participation in the NEFFA Festival includes risk of exposure to and illness from infectious diseases including but not limited to COVID-19. Attendance is at your own risk.
For the 2026 NEFFA Festival, vaccination and masking are optional. We strongly believe that the COVID vaccines are highly effective at preventing disease and for making the disease milder, and we recommend that everyone who can get a vaccine before NEFFA do
so. The evidence indicates that masking works very well in mitigating the transmission of airborne disease. It has proven to be one of the best tools for preventing the spread of COVID.
Please respect everyone’s personal choice to mask or not mask.
NEFFA reserves the right to revise this policy depending upon any significant changes in the public health situation as we approach the Festival.
Symptoms or Testing Positive: If you feel unwell at all, have a positive COVID test result, or have had COVID very recently (with a positive test or symptoms beginning less than 10 days ago), please do not attend NEFFA. We’ll have another Festival next year
and would love to see you then! We will refund tickets purchased in advance, if you are unable to attend due to illness.
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Program Book Advertising Opportunities
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Help NEFFA while you promote your business or service! NEFFA Program Books are picked up by festival-goers, kept as souvenirs, and provide entertainment and reference for months to come. Ad revenue helps us defray the cost of producing the books, which lets
us keep admission prices as low as possible. Advertising opportunities are open NOW! See our website for rates and details.
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You are receiving this because you are a NEFFA member or are in the NEFFA Loop!
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Copyright © 2026 The New England Folk Festival Association, All rights reserved.
Our mailing address is:
The New England Folk Festival Association
PO Box 2789
Acton, MA 01720-6789
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