Tucson Folk Festival 2026 Lineup

TUCSON, AZ — The Tucson Folk Festival, one of the longest-running and largest free folk music festivals in the country and a recent recipient of 5280 Magazine’s Best of the Mountain West 2025 honor, has announced its full lineup for the 41st annual celebration, taking place April 10–12, 2026, in Downtown Tucson.

As the Festival continues into its fourth decade, the 2026 program reflects both where it began and where it’s headed—honoring the traditions that shaped the festival while amplifying the voices defining the future of folk and acoustic music. The weekend will feature more than 150 performances by 450 musicians across six stages, bringing together nationally recognized artists, emerging songwriters, young performers, and a diverse range of regional, national, and international acts.

Admission remains free to the public, continuing a tradition the festival has upheld since its founding in 1986.

The 2026 Tucson Folk Festival is anchored by a headlining performance from Tom Rush, a celebrated songwriter whose career has helped define modern folk music. Known for his distinctive guitar style, wry humor, and expressive voice, Rush’s performances blend heartfelt ballads, gritty blues, and storytelling that spans generations. His appearance offers Tucson audiences a rare opportunity to experience a foundational artist whose influence continues to resonate across the folk tradition.

Additional headliners include Jerron Paxton and Dennis Lichtman, acclaimed multi-instrumentalists whose collaboration bridges early 20th-century Black folk music, blues, jazz, and original compositions. Their energetic performances honor the roots of American acoustic music while keeping its stories alive for contemporary audiences.

Also headlining is Tow’rs, the Flagstaff-based folk band known for intimate songwriting and expansive arrangements. Led by Kyle and Gretta Miller, Tow’rsexplores themes of self-acceptance, love, and growth, inviting listeners into music that feels both personal and communal.

The headliner lineup is rounded out by artists who reflect the breadth of today’s folk and Americana landscape, including Remi Goode, CW Ayon, The Brothers Reed, Admiral Radio, Mariachi Aztlán de Pueblo High School, and Rising Sun Daughter—each bringing distinct voices, traditions, and perspectives to the festival’s stages.

Grace Rolland of Rising Sun Daughter shares, “In 2024, I brought my two-year-old son to the festival and was expecting my second child. In just one concert area, I got to reconnect with all sorts of beloved friends and familiar faces while listening to my brother’s band play. Tucson is such a surge of warmth, welcome, good times, and friendship. It’s hard not to have a great timewhenever I come here.”

Remi Goode’s musical partner, Gabe Lehrer, reflects on their history in Tucson in the lead-up to the Folk Festival: “Remi and I both grew up in Tucson. We met at ages 7 and 9, because we had the same classical guitar teacher, Michael Lich. We started playing guitar chamber music together shortly thereafter, and when we were going into middle school we both started writing our own songs.”

“Around ages 12-13, we started harmonizing and arranging our songs for two guitars and formed a duo, which lasted throughout high school. We attended the ASU music school together for college and formed a 5-piece band that was active around the state until our move to Nashville in 2023. Tucson is the best and we have missed the mountains and the people ever since we left.”

CW Ayon shares, “Over the years, I’ve had the great pleasure to meet and share music with tons of fantastic musicians from Tucson. My bass player, Felipe Toltecatl, lives there now.”

“This will be my very first folk festival. I’ve played many bar gigs and blues festivals before. I’m extremely proud and humbled to be a part of this year’s music.”

Past festival headliners, including Kevin Pakulis, Heather Hardy, Baba Marimba, Nancy McCallion, Ryanhood, Mariachi Nuevo Azteca, and more, will also appear throughout the weekend, reflecting the enduring relationships that continue to shape the festival.

Songwriting at the Center

Songwriting remains a cornerstone of the Tucson Folk Festival. The weekend begins Friday evening with the Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition, featuring eight finalists selected from more than 115 applicants from across the country.

Finalists perform original work on the Plaza Stage, with top finishers earning additional featured performance slots during the festival weekend. The competition continues a long-standing commitment to original music, celebrating craft and storytelling while offering meaningful opportunities for emerging artists.

This year’s songwriting competition finalists include a mix of artists from around the country, and even from overseas—indie folk duo Great Aunt are flying in from Bathurst, NSW, Australia to compete. Also competing are Ben Reneer(Phoenix, AZ), Carlos A Olmeda (Fryeburg, ME), Kam Bugger (O Fallon, IL), Lane Norberg (Portland, OR), Lydia Shae (Cincinnati, OH), Sarah Adams(Los Angeles, CA), and Tashi T (Durango, CO).

Admiral Radio, who won the 2024 Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition, will perform a closing set before the 2026 winners are named. Becca Smith from the South Carolina duo shares their Tucson Folk Festival story, saying, “Prior to entering the Stefan George Songwriting Competition in 2024, we had never been to Tucson—or Arizona for that matter! Being from South Carolina, and having previously only toured the Eastern US, this was a big leap into a new territory for us.”

“As soon as we arrived in Tucson, we could feel an energy that was totally unique and that was only amplified by the time we got to the festival. We immediately felt like we belonged to that community. Everyone we met, from organizers and volunteers to musicians and attendees, welcomed us with open arms and authenticity. Strangers turned into friends turned into family. Returning to Tucson every April for the fest has absolutely become one of our favorite parts of the year. We truly feel at home there and while we never had a ‘personal’ connection to Tucson before, now it’s all personal.”
Learn more about the Songwriting Competition

Young Artists, Family Programming, and the Next Generation

The Festival’s Wildflower Stage, presented with support by Rio Nuevo District, will once again host a full slate of Young Artist Showcase performances, highlighting more than 14 youth acts from the region. Family show programming throughout the weekend includes performances by Jam Pak Neighborhood Blues ‘N Grass Band, Bruce Phillips, Admiral Radio, and additional festival artists, along with interactive musical activities designed to invite participation rather than spectatorship.

By placing young performers alongside established artists, the Tucson Folk Festival reinforces its role as a space where traditions are passed forward, ensuring folk music remains colorful, relevant, and accessible to all ages.

A Festival Built by Community

This year, the festival received more than 400 applications representing 128 cities and 36 states. The 2026 lineup reflects the festival’s deep local roots and expanding reach:
47% of selected acts are from the Tucson area
34% hail from outside Arizona
14% come from the Phoenix area
3% represent international performers

Across all stages, nearly half of the performers call Southern Arizona home, underscoring the festival’s commitment to local musicians while welcoming artists from across the country and beyond.

Beyond the music, festivalgoers can explore the Elise Grecco Community Marketplace, featuring local artisans, makers, and food vendors; participate in interactive workshops and song circles; and enjoy commemorative merchandise created for the 41st annual festival.

More than 250 volunteers contribute their time and expertise each year to keep the festival free, accessible, and community-driven.

Featured Festival Artwork: Honoring Craft, Place, and Music

This year’s Tucson Folk Festival artwork is created by Lee Ferris, a Tucson-based illustrator, painter, and professional musician whose work reflects the same values that have shaped the festival for more than four decades.

Ferris’s artwork draws from Southwest pop art traditions, blending bold color, playful symbolism, and hand-crafted design to pay tribute to the converging influences of the Sonoran Desert and acoustic, handmade music. His style celebrates nostalgia and ephemera while remaining distinctly contemporary, mirroring the Festival’s balance of tradition and evolution.

“I kept seeing this idea in my mind of music in the shape of a guitar descending upon the desert and swallowing it whole. It’s how I feel when I listen to music that I love. I am consumed by it,” said Ferris. “I wanted to convey the idea that music has the power to make us see the world differently when we surrender ourselves to it. The saguaros casting musical shadows is meant to represent how we become something new when music moves through us.”

Originally from Los Angeles, Ferris studied guitar at Berklee College of Music and spent years touring professionally before turning to visual art as a way of documenting life on the road. Now living in Tucson, his work has been featured at the Tucson International Airport Art Exhibit and can be found locally at Mo’s Gallery and Fine Framing, where he works as a framing specialist. His artwork will appear on official 2026 festival merchandise and promotional materials.
Learn more about Lee Ferris
Watch Freddy & Francine at the 2022 Tucson Folk Festival

Looking Ahead

“What began as friends sharing songs around a kitchen table has grown into a festival that still believes music is best made—and experienced—together,” said Matt Rolland, President of the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association. “As we celebrate our 41st year, we’re not just honoring the past—we’re investing in the next 40 years of artists, audiences, and volunteers who will shape this festival’s future.”

Partnership & Program Advertising Opportunities

While vendor participation for the 2026 Tucson Folk Festival is fully booked, the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association welcomes sponsorship inquiries and program advertising placements from businesses and organizations interested in supporting one of Tucson’s most enduring cultural events.

Organizations interested in partnering with the festival or advertising in the official festival program are encouraged to contact: president@tucsonfolkfest.org

Event Details

Friday, April 10, 2026
Stefan George Memorial Songwriting Competition
Jácome Plaza Stage | 6:00–9:00 PM | Free Admission

Saturday, April 11, 2026
Tucson Folk Festival | Live Music on Six Stages
12:00–9:30 PM | Free Admission

Sunday, April 12, 2026
Tucson Folk Festival | Live Music on Six Stages
11:30 AM–8:30 PM | Free Admission

Location:
Jácome Plaza and surrounding downtown venues
101 N Stone Ave, Tucson, AZ 85701

For full lineup details, stage schedules, and updates, visit www.tucsonfolkfest.org.

The Tucson Folk Festival is presented annually by the Tucson Kitchen Musicians Association and Art State Arizona, with support from community partners, sponsors, and public funders committed to keeping live, original music accessible to all.

The Tucson Folk Festival is presented with funding support from Pima County Attractions and Tourism Outside Agency Program, Rio Nuevo District, the City of Tucson, Creative West, the Arts Foundation for Tucson and Southern Arizona, and the Arizona Commission on the Arts.

Festival and artist photos are available upon request.