Smoky Mountain Folk Festival to return to Lake Junaluska

Colleen Casey, The Mountaineer, Waynesville, N.C.
·2 min read

Aug. 10—The 51st Smoky Mountain Folk Festival is just around the corner, and it provides a wide variety of Haywood County talent.

The summer festival is a southern Appalachian traditional experience and it provides a variety of talent from clogging to old timers to bluegrass music. There is something for everybody to enjoy each night.

"My favorite part of the festival is the camaraderie of all the musicians and dancers, how fun it is backstage, how much fun sharing and storytelling goes on, and how much fun jamming is," director of Smoky Mountain Folk Festival Joe Sam Queen said. "It's not just a stage show. The performers have a good time too."

Visitors can enjoy a variety of talent in more than 25 acts featuring fiddlers, banjo players, string ballads, string bands, buck dancers and square dance teams and much more.

"It is a collection of the best talent in the region," Queen said.

The annual summer festival takes place a week sooner than usual this year from 5 — 10:30 p.m. on Aug. 26 — 27.

Both nights start with a free open tent show on the lawn beginning at 5 — 6:30 p.m., and then the main stage ticketed show begins at 6:30 p.m. and continues until 10:30 p.m.

"We are happy about the new dates being the weekend before Labor Day weekend," Queen said. "It really is a spectacular local event," he said.

The festival is located at the historic Lake Junaluska Stuart Auditorium, 91 North Lake Shore Dr., Lake Junaluska.

"The historic auditorium is a COVID friendly venue with it being outside in the open air and having over 2,000 seats," Queen said. "We feel like it is very safe."

The event has taken place for 51 years, minus cancelations for the last two years due to COVID. There are usually about 500-600 tickets sold per night.

He said the audience loves the variety and how rich the talent is. The dance teams are both young and old, bringing individuality and uniqueness to the acts.

"A lot of these traditional acts are families. The close knit personal sound makes it special," Queen said.

Both nights are unique and completely different. "We try to balance the nights," he said.

There will be free watermelon during both nights and the festival will also have a BBQ food truck along with a coffee ice cream at the coffee shop.

"We are looking forward to a strong come back after being gone for three years," Queen said. "The line up is as good as it's ever been," Queen said. "The performers are all stepping up."

Main show tickets are $15 at the door, or $12 in advance, and children 12 and under are free. Advance tickets can be purchased at the Haywood County Arts Council at 86 North Main St. in Waynesville or at Bethea Welcome Center at Lake Junaluska.