62nd Annual Arkansas Folk Festival

Established in the 1870s, the town of Mountain View, AR is famous for the preservation of folkways and traditional music. It was natural for the Arkansas Folk Festival to be founded here in the early 1960s, and the Ozark Folk Center State Park followed in 1973.

Music plays a vital part of the aura of the area as, historically, Saturday nights would find locals at a "pickin'" in a neighbor's house or yard. The custom continues today and once the weather gets warm, musicians join locals and play music late into the night hours outside around the town square. The season is from mid-April through late November. Music is not only vital, it is the soul of the town. There is a determination to keep the tradition alive through programs such as the Music Roots Program, where via the local school system, area musicians teach young people to play the old tunes on traditional string instruments.

April 19th & 20th

Rich History

Music is in our blood and has been ringing through these mountain for over 150 years. One of the earliest forms of Ozark folk music was the ballad tradition, which consisted of songs that told stories of love, loss, and tragedy. Many of these ballads were based on events that had occurred in the region, such as the Civil War, and were often passed down orally from one generation to the next.

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Ozarks became a popular destination for traveling musicians and performers, who would often incorporate local musical traditions into their own music. This led to the development of new musical styles, such as hillbilly music and country music.

During the Great Depression, many Ozark musicians began performing on the radio, which helped to popularize their music throughout the country. One of the most famous Ozark musicians of this era was the singer and fiddler Roy Acuff, who went on to become a major star in the country music industry.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Ozark folk music tradition experienced a revival, with a new generation of musicians rediscovering and reinterpreting the music of their ancestors. This led to the formation of folk music festivals, such as the Ozark Folk Festival in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, which continues to this day.

Today, Ozark folk music remains an important part of the region's cultural heritage, with musicians continuing to perform and preserve the traditional music of the Ozarks for future generations.

A Town Built on Music

Pickin & Grinin

No matter where you turn, you’re likely to find some music being played. You’ll hear mountain folk music being played on fiddles, banjos, standup bass, guitars, dulcimers, maybe even on a washboard.

Our main stage in front of the courthouse, but you’ll also find music being played in the Pickin Park, in front of the music shop, next to Kin Folk BBQ, at Jimmy Driftwood’s and about a dozen other venues and corners throughout town.