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.
This year, we are bringing back the activities space, with crafts projects for people of all ages, and we we offer family-friendly dances and music events throughout the daytime hours on Saturday and Sunday.
Schedule of Events:
10:00am
Intro to Folk Waltz -- Alyssa Adkins, Brookline Country Players -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Israeli Oldies Dance Party -- Andrea Gwosdow, Israeli Oldies Dance Band -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Social Singing 101 -- The Ranzo Boys -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Introduction to Contras -- David Millstone, Cecilia Vacanti, Sam Zakon-Anderson -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Community Dance Party with Margaret Bary and Tabbies' Delight -- Margaret Bary -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
-- Midnight Capers Morris & Sword, Harbour Steel, No Apologies Rapper -- Ritual Dance (Outside Trade Center) (50 min.)
Keeping Our Bodies Dancing As We Age -- Anna Rain -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Breton and French Dances! -- Ganivelle -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Hot Music, Cool Dances (ECD) -- Ted Rudofker, Hidden River -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
Introduction to English Handbell Ringing -- Connecticut Handbell Musicians -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
10:30am
A Guide to Harmony Singing -- Kim Wallach, Heidi Slaney -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
11:00am
Bretagne Dance -- Pardon My French, Box and String Trio -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Zwiefachers: EZ to Hard Z -- Ret Turner, The Mother Zwiefacher Orchestra -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Start and Grow a Dance Series -- Rob Matson -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Intro to English Country Dance -- Sue Rosen, Bruce Rosen, Vince O'Donnell -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Family Scottish Country Dancing -- Karen Sollins, Tom Pixton -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
-- Muddy River Morris, Renegade Morris, Newtowne Morris Men -- Ritual Dance (Outside Trade Center) (50 min.)
Sagebrush to Silver Screen: Cowboy Songs -- Allen Hopkins -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Little People, Big Feelings -- Sandy Pliskin -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
World Music Concert -- Boston Harmony -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Get in the Groove Contras -- Dereck Kalish, Festival Orchestra -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
Ukulele Off the Page -- Ken Mattsson -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
11:30am
Folk and Religious Music from the Republic of Georgia -- Iveria -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
12:00noon
Dances of Anatolia -- Jeanne Clifford, Rakiya -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Learn the ECD Medley Dances -- Joanna Reiner Wilkinson, Tom Roby, Northeast Extension -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Fox Library Open Jam -- Bob Solosko -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Couple Sequence Dances -- Alan Winston, Two Cousins -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
-- Vineyard Swordfish, Hop Brook Morris, Ha'Penny Morris -- Ritual Dance (Outside Trade Center) (50 min.)
The Secret History of Chanteys -- Craig Edwards -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Family Fun Dance -- Don Veino, JumpStart -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
You Can Count With Me -- Kim Wallach -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Protest Songs: Sharing & Leading -- Nora Maynard -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Squares for Contra Dancers -- Bob Isaacs, Raise the Roof -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
Traditional Music of E. Europe, Georgia, & the Balkans -- Yale Slavic Chorus -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
12:30pm
Jam Session: English Country Dance Tunes -- Betwixt and Between -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Succession! -- Scott Higgs, Lisa Greenleaf -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
1:00pm
Scottish Ceilidh Party -- Hila Lenz, Torrent -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Dance Performances -- Iskwelahang Pilipino; Krakowiak Polish Dancers of Boston, Inc.; Origins Folkloric Dance Company; Mladost Folk Ensemble; Samskrithi; Revontulet -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
The Food of Love Hurts -- Renaissance Jukebox -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Intro to International Dance -- Janet Yeracaris, Shining Moon -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
-- Great Meadows Morris and Sword, Ladies of the Rolling Pin, Hart's Brook Garland -- Ritual Dance (Outside Trade Center) (50 min.)
Missouri Fiddling: The Little Dixie Region -- Richard Shewmaker -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Family Barn Dance -- Jacob Bloom, Free Association -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
A Family Cabaret -- Jackson Gillman -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Connecticut Sea Music Festival Chantey Sing -- Connecticut Sea Music Festival Singers -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
We Meet Again Contras -- Sue Gola, Autumn Rose Lester, Eric Eid-Reiner -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
The Ultimate Parody Jam! -- Joel Landy, Sandy Pliskin -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
1:30pm
West Gallery Music -- The West Gallery Quire -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Pre-dance Open English Band Practice -- The English Country Dance Open Band -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
2:00pm
Introduction to Bollywood Dance -- Bolly Beatzz by Priya -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Philly's Phinest Contras -- Liesl Jandrey, The Dixie Butterhounds -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Watch Out!: Warnings, Wrongdoing, and Wrath -- Nicole Singer, Becky Wright -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Contra for Big Kids (6-12s) -- Tamar Myers, The Midlings -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
-- Pinewoods Morris Men, Firebird, Charles River Rapper -- Ritual Dance (Outside Trade Center) (50 min.)
Clawhammer Banjo Concert -- Ken Perlman, Ruth Rappaport -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Come Sing Along! -- Bobbi Macdonald -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Music of Scotland and Cape Breton -- Boston Scottish Fiddle Orchestra -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Next Level Folk Waltz -- Alyssa Adkins, Alias -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
Songs of Mine and Mill -- Steve Suffet, Valentine Doyle -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
2:30pm
Balkan Kefana Singalong -- Balkan Kefana -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
'Fishermen's Ballads' 150 Years On -- Michael O'Leary -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
3:00pm
Tricky Balkan Dances -- Ed Abelson, Tom Pixton -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Triplet Time (3 Cple Sets) -- Chris Page, Free Association -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Mostly Swedish Jam -- SAC Spelmanslag -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Family Barn Dance -- Alex Cumming -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
-- Jack in the Green Morris, Stick'n the Mist, Half Moon Sword -- Ritual Dance (Outside Trade Center) (50 min.)
Power Harmonies -- Power Harmonies -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Mostly Celtic Tunes and Songs -- Good Company -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Parlor Party - Sing and Jam -- Maury Stauffer -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Festive Yet Tasteful ECD -- Joanna Reiner Wilkinson, Intuition -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
How to Play the Irish Bodhran -- Jeanne Hansberry -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
3:30pm
Stellar Hits from the First 20 Years! -- Constellations -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Django, Jazz, & Bluegrazz -- Blue Jersey Band -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
4:00pm
International Folk Dance Party -- Panharmonium -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
How to Play the Bones -- Steve Brown & Friends -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Scottish Country Dancing for Beginners -- Flights of Fancy -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
How to Apply to NEFFA -- NEFFA Program Committee -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Seated Square Dance -- Fred Wersan, Assabet Ramblers -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Fat Ton Trad - Bal Folk Tune Workshop -- Duo Thomas-Fownes -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Shape Note Workshop -- Glen Wright & Friends -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Kudos to Kynaston (ECD) -- David Millstone, Brylig -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
Argentine Tango Jam -- Orquesta Tipica Mermelada -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
4:30pm
Shetland Fiddle Workshop -- Becky Miller -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Balkan Singing Workshop -- Tatiana Sarbinska -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
5:00pm
Balkan Dances in 11 and 22! -- Tom Roby, Tom Pixton -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Scottish Country Dancing -- Howard Lasnik, The Mad Katters -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Songs from the Osterie (Italian Taverns) -- Vecchio Stile -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Intro to Balkan Dancing -- Sue Rose, Whatever Floats Your Goat -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Homecoming Album Launch -- Alex Cumming -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Ottoman Turkish Makam Music -- NEVA -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Lilting Jam: Singing the Tunes -- Becca Mandel -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Sacred Harp Singing -- Norumbega Harmony -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Contra Medley -- Not Enough Fiddles -- Trade Center West (20 min.)
Uke Power -- Evy Mayer, Allen Hopkins -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
5:30pm
Celtic Harp - From the Past to the Present -- The Harper and the Minstrel -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Routes of the Blues -- Cousin Louis -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Contra Chestnuts Plus -- Jeremy Korr, Not Enough Fiddles -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
6:00pm
Ballo Liscio from Italy (Waltzes, Tangos, etc.) -- Vecchio Stile -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Balkan Joy! Balkan Dances -- Balkan Fields -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Songs of Earth, Moon, & Beyond -- Jackson Gillman, JillianEstelle Gillman -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Appalachian Flatfooting and Buck Dancing -- James Keenan, The Dead Sea Squirrels -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Maritime Ballads: Context from Content -- Chris Koldewey -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Not the SOS -- Mark Belanger -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Humor Us! -- Plays Well With Others -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Introductory Hand Drumming Workshop -- Dave Curry -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
6:30pm
Waltz Jam -- Three Quarter Time -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Slow Jam: The Pulse of a Jig -- David Titus, Debby Knight -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Contras with Rum & Onions -- Steve Zakon-Anderson, Rum & Onions -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
7:00pm
Beaucoup des Bourrées -- Lynn Baumeister, Lisa Tamres, Box and String Trio -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
ECD Medley -- Tom Roby, Joanna Reiner Wilkinson, Betwixt and Between -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (20 min.)
Pioneering Women of Old-Time -- Marylou Ferrante, Anne Rouillard -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Intro to Colonial Dance -- Jacob Bloom, Nancy Bloom, The Colonial Minstrels -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Original Acoustic Songs -- Jeremy Van Cleave, Nathaniel Diamond-Jones -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Hypnotic Old-Time Jam -- The Dead Sea Squirrels -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Ballads: Stories Told and Sung -- Mike Agranoff -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Pub Sing with Jack in the Green -- Jack in the Green Morris -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Songs of Road and Rail -- Steve Suffet -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
7:30pm
Recent English Country Dance Delights -- Jenny Beer, Betwixt and Between -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
How to Talk to Your Sound Engineer -- NEFFA Sound Committee -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Music Concert of Unusual Instruments -- Larry Unger & Julie Metcalf -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Beatles Contra -- Donna Hunt, Wissahickon Express -- Trade Center West (50 min.)
8:00pm
International Dance Party! -- Shining Moon -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
NEFFA Funny Song Swap Hour! -- Joel Landy -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Schottis from the Bright Side -- Joan & Jim Savitt, Marilyn Butler -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
ABCs of American Roots Music -- Craig Edwards -- Seminar (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Front Porch Busking -- The Watertonics -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Sad Song Swap -- Laurie Tupper -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Contra Tune Slow Jam -- Chris Carpenter, Dave Miller -- Trade Center Tent (50 min.)
Stories for Grownups -- Helen Engelhardt -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
8:30pm
ECD Favorites with the English Open Band -- Cathy Hollister, The English Country Dance Open Band -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Double the Fun! -- High Strung Strummers -- Princess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Mike Kennedy Remembrance (1946-2023) -- Roll & Go -- Southborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Best Contras of the 2010's -- Greg Frock, Good Company -- Trade Center West (80 min.)
9:00pm
Intro to Casino Rueda (Cuban Dance) -- Lauren Ingram -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Remembering Phil Ochs -- Joel Landy -- Duchess (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Swedish Couple Dancing -- lydia ievins -- Marlborough (Hotel West) (80 min.)
Woodbury Family & 1800s Parlor Songs -- Maury Stauffer, Nancy Stauffer Johnson -- Sterling (Hotel West) (50 min.)
French Jam -- Mark Vidor -- Sudbury (Hotel West) (50 min.)
Hammer Dulcimer - Making Sense -- Keith Prairie, David Neiman -- Westborough (Hotel West) (50 min.)
9:30pm
Bulgarian & More Dance Party -- Zdravets -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (50 min.)
Song Swap Party -- Nicole Singer, Becky Wright -- Princess (Hotel East) (120 min.)
Well, That Didn't End Well! Tragic Ballads -- Lynn Feingold -- Southborough (Hotel West) (120 min.)
10:00pm
Jug Band Blues and Swing Dance -- Outrageous Fortune -- Ballroom AB (Hotel East) (90 min.)
Django Jazz Jam -- Django Jazz -- Duchess (Hotel East) (90 min.)
Stream of Contraness (Contra Hash!) -- Michael Karcher, Torrent -- Trade Center West (20 min.)
10:30pm
Dances of Yves Moreau -- Pinewoods Band -- Ballroom CDE (Hotel East) (60 min.)
Contra Party! -- Michael Karcher, Torrent -- Trade Center West (60 min.)
