Bettye LaVette and David Bromberg will headline ‘Pocket Sized Edition’ of Philadelphia Folk Fest

Bettye LaVette and the David Bromberg Quintet will headline the two-day “Pocket Sized Edition” of the Philadelphia Folk Festival when it returns as an in-person event on Aug. 21 and 22.

Other acts on the bill include Katie Pruitt, Dustbowl Revival, Susan Werner, Dom Flemons, Flor de Toloache, Livingston Taylor, Kuf Knotz and Christine Elise, Driftwood Soldier, the Hoppin’ Boxcars, Laura Lizcano, John Byrne Band, and Davina & the Vagabonds. The Fralinger String Band and Give & Take Jugglers will also appear.

The Folk Fest, which was founded in 1962, was virtual-only in 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year’s scaled-back version will be staged at the Spring Mountain ski area in Upper Salford Township in Montgomery County, one mile away from its traditional site at the Old Pool Farm.

Crowds at the event, which is presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society and is being billed as the “59 ½ anniversary” of the fest, will be limited to 1,000 ticket holders per day. Bands playing the fest’s main stage will also be available to be streamed. There will be no camping on-site at this year’s festival. Pre-pandemic, the Folk Fest has drawn as many as 35,000 over a four-day weekend.

Philadelphia singer-songwriter John Flynn will host the fest, filling a role that was long played by beloved DJ and PFF cofounder Gene Shay, who died of COVID-19 in 2020.

Tickets will be sold in six-person socially distanced pods, priced from $85-$150 per person per day. There will also be limited general admission seating for $65 per day or $120 for a two-day pass. More information is available at FolkFest.org.