What exactly is folk music in the 2020s? That question did not stump the musicians performing at the 2026 Ann Arbor Folk Festival. In fact, it seemed to delight them. The truth is that the dividing lines between genres across the entire canon of American music have blurred substantially over the past decade. As a result, the music filling Hill Auditorium on January 30 and 31 will be an even more eclectic blend of sounds than when the festival began 49 years ago.
“I’ve taken a couple of classes on what defines folk music and I think that at base, what makes folk music folk music is its accessibility to people,” said Nat Timmerman, a University of Michigan senior with the stage name Rabbitology.
Timmerman will be bringing her self described “bit of scrappiness” approach to electric folk – or folktronica – style to her debut at Folk Fest.
“In the music I make, I try and tell people the steps and processes of which I make the electronic side because I feel like a lot of electronic music is gate kept from the producers side, in terms of ‘how did I make this kind of sound?’ So I’m trying to bring a folk attitude to electronic [music],” Timmerman said.
This year the lineup will feature no less than seven acts. Amos Lee will begin the very start of his 2026 tour when he get things going on the second day of Folk Fest. He will be swiftly followed by Dawes, The Crane Wives, Jon Muq, Rabbitology, and Ryan Montbelau MC. The night before, The Ark is doing an experiment by saving the entire first night for just one act – Greensky Bluegrass.
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Folk Fest is sponsored by the Bank of Ann Arbor, but the Ark on Main Street is what is really behind the festival. The Ark’s Marketing Director Barb Chaffer Authier said that the real joy of the festival is to “introduce artists that are up and coming to wider audiences.”
The festival has a bunch of bands that are well established, like The Crane Wives. But it is also the chance for what the well experienced and cultured staff of The Ark consider to be some of the most promising, up and coming musical talent that their deeply-sourced network knows of – people like Rabbitology. This mix of established talent with fresh faces is what makes Folk Fest cool according to Kate Pillsbury, guitarist of the Crane Waves.
“I think that it’s really inspiring to have an organization that really keeps their finger on the pulse of what’s happening in music, and particularly in folk music. It’s something that has really needed bolstering as technology advances, and music production gets more expensive. I think they’re trying to keep the heart of roots music alive,” Pillsbury said. “We also love The Ark. We love an organization that is bringing in artists for this small, interment room experience … that works for the music art community. Every time I go to The Ark, I really do feel the music community. Those words are used a lot, but the sense of community is something that is really hard to achieve, and we’re just really proud of our Michigan organization that keeps inviting musicians together in a space. It’s kind of old school at this point to keep folk music alive, and we’re just really appreciative of them.”
This festival is also the main fund-raising source for The Ark. Hill Auditorium can hold up to 3,500 seats, but the 400 seat Ark Theater on Main Street only gets about three-fifths of its yearly operating budget from ticket sales at that location. This festival at Hill Auditorium fills out the rest of their budget. This year The Ark is aiming to raise $150,000 at the Folk Fest, according to Executive Director Marianne James.
The tickets are technically a funding donation, making them tax deductible. Seats in the upper balcony are $56.50 per person. Mezzanine and lower balcony seats are $81.50, and gold circle level seats on the main floor are $136.50 each. The first ten rows, the Platinum Circle, go for $281.50.
The highest level is the Benefactor Circle, where staff will help you select a very specific seat within the innermost ring. According to the Ark, the Benefactor Circle’s $1,400 price is $870 tax deductible.
Greensky Bluegrass’ show will start at 7:30pm on Friday. The other six acts will begin to take their turns on stage starting at 7pm on Saturday.
Drew Saunders is a freelance business and environmental journalist who grew up just outside of Ann Arbor. He covers local business developments, embraces his foodie side with reviews restaurants, obsesses over Michigan's environmental state, loves movies, and feels spoiled by the music he gets to review for Ann Arbor!
