
Photo by Alvin McGovern
The Woodstock Folk Festival in Woodstock, Illinois, has been in existence since 1986, proudly bringing McHenry County some of the best in family musical and storytelling entertainment.
This year's Festival will offer something for everyone. And in celebration of our 25th year, the Woodstock Opera House will be presenting Chicago folk legend Bonnie Koloc in concert on Saturday night, July 17 (Festival eve), at 8 p.m. Tickets for that concert are available from the Opera House Box Office at 815-338-5300.
We will also celebrate our fellow folk music organizations that are part of our Woodstock folk community year-round by featuring the “Best of Woodstock” segments programmed by Amy Beth and Friends, Masthouse, and Off Square Music.
Main Stage
Our Main Stage performances begin at noon. In addition to the fine artists we have lined up this year, we will be presenting our Ninth Annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Bonnie Koloc from the stage at 3:15 p.m.
Workshop
A guitar workshop will being given by Laura Doherty. The workshop begins at 2:00 p.m.
Open Mike Stage
In addition the to Main Stage performances, there is an opportunity for anyone to share their talent on our Open Mike Stage with Mark & Jean as Master of Ceremonies. It has its own Featured Performer at 4:00 p.m.; artists from the Best of Woodstock.
Kids Area
Your children will be entertained all day in the Kids Area with hands-on activites just for them, and performaces by Lia McCoo at 1:15 p.m., and Laura Doherty at 3:45 p.m.
Mark Your Calendar
So make plans right now to come out, rain or shine, and join us at noon on Sunday, July 18th. Don’t forget to bring chairs, blankets, picnic baskets, etc. Also note that the city does not allow pets in the park, only in the streets on the periphery.
The 2009 Festival
The 2009 Woodstock Folk Festival was very successful. It was a comfortable if mostly cloudy day, but the weather wasn't the reason for the festival's success—it was the people who participated; our wonderful audience (possibly our largest ever), our talented performers, and our many generous contributors. The Festival presented its Eighth Annual Lifetime Achievement Award to Michael Smith. The Main Stage featured Trillium, the Jamie O�Reilly Trio, Still on the Hill, Natalia Zukerman, Magpie, and John Flynn. Compass was the Featured Performer on the Open Mike Stage, and Joe Filisko offered a Harmonica Workshop. The Children's Area presented performances by John Flynn and by Magpie, and also had hands-on activities all day.
Here's what the President of the Board wrote to the people who helped:
Please mark your calendar now and plan on coming to the next festival. Meanwhile you can check this site often to find out when the next Woodstock Folk Festival Concert will be, you can help us by volunteering for a pre-festival and/or festival activity, and you can become a sponsor.

Photo by
Alvin McGovern
Donations Appreciated
Entrance to the Woodstock Folk Festival is by donation. The suggested donations are:
- $15/individual
- $25/family
- $10/seniors and students
Since the festival is held in a publicly accessible location, our audience pays on the honor system. Please be conscious of this and make sure you find out where the donation is being collected as soon as possible after arriving. Thank you.
Our Sponsors
Among the many people and organizations that help fund the Woodstock Folk Festival, we would especially like to acknowledge the following:
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Links
Links to the Woodstock Folk Festival can be found on these sites:


















