Sara Watkins will host 45th Ann Arbor Folk Festival

Two-night event returns to Hill Auditorium Jan. 28-29

Sara Watkins will emcee the 45th Ann Arbor Folk Festival. (Sara Watkins)

ANN ARBOR – The Ark announced on Friday morning that folk artist Sara Watkins will be emceeing the 45th Ann Arbor Folk Festival.

The two-night event is set for Jan. 28 and 29 and the show starts each night at 6:30 p.m.

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A fiddler and vocalist, Watkins was a member of the progressive bluegrass band Nickel Creek, and most recently performed at the 2019 Folk Festival as part of the acoustic group I’m With Her.

Here’s the current lineup:

FRIDAY, JAN. 28

  • Glen Hansard
  • Punch Brothers
  • Madison Cunningham
  • The Ghost of Paul Revere
  • Gina Chavez
  • Kyshona

SATURDAY, JAN. 29

  • Emmylou Harris
  • Patty Griffin
  • Oshima Brothers
  • Sweet Water Warblers
  • Brittney Spencer
  • Jared Deck

Audience members will be required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to gain entry to the festival. Per University of Michigan policy, masks must be worn at all times at Hill Auditorium.

The annual festival is a fundraiser for The Ark, Ann Arbor’s home for folk, ethnic and roots music. The nonprofit venue has been bringing some of the biggest names in folk, Americana, bluegrass and more to Ann Arbor audiences, and has also been at the forefront of discovery of numerous folk artists for decades.

For more information including how to buy tickets, visit www.theark.org.


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