Free Music Festival Coming to Downtown New Bedford

A new festival is coming to New Bedford that will bring people together for a unique concert experience on Saturday, July 22.

The first annual New Bedford Roots & Branches Festival will bring a day of acoustic music downtown, with multiple stages and over six hours of live music, offering a day of unity and expression through folk music.

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The People Behind the Festival

Jeff Angeley, the owner and director of SouthCoast Lessons, was a multi-year recipient of the New Bedford Creative Wicked Cool Places Grant and he is no stranger to organizing large-scale events throughout the city.

With the help of Samantha Babineau, Christian Camarao and Steven Brum, these "former coworkers turned coconspirators" have formed an event that will allow the various diverse folk communities of the city to shine through music.

What to Expect

The festival will take place at Wing’s Court in downtown New Bedford, where festivalgoers can enjoy traditional music performances. There will also be four indoor spaces, each one at a different local business near Wing’s Court.

“This festival aims to have a favorable impact on the downtown district we’re occupying,” said Angeley. “We’re designing a festival that not merely acknowledges, but rather aims to directly benefit and involve the small business in the neighborhood of our event.”

While enjoying music at every turn, festivalgoers will have opportunities to participate in the music-making.

“Bring your fiddles and your voices, and you can be a part of a true living traditional music experience with Old Time Fiddle Session, an Irish Seisun, or one of a number of group singing sessions,” said Angeley.

The festival’s performances aim to represent the demographics of the region by paying homage to the community’s rich and diverse pasts.

This free event will bring six performance areas, over 20 performers, and hours of music to downtown New Bedford, and it will be a beautiful display of culture, art, and community.

A full schedule of performance times will available online soon.

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