A Celebration of Old Time Music Rooted in Regional Heritage

The Baltimore Old Time Music Festival celebrates traditional American music as it exists in the contemporary scene, returning to the Baltimore Museum of Industry on April 17-18, 2026 for its seventh edition. Hosted by the Center for Cultural Vibrancy and led by festival organizers Ken & Brad Kolodner, the festival presents a joyous, interactive gathering centered around fiddle, banjo, ballad singing, flatfoot dance, and social square dancing—traditions deeply woven into Baltimore and Maryland's cultural fabric.

A Distinguished Lineup

The 2026 lineup features world-renowned artists including two-time GRAMMY Award winner Rhiannon Giddens, whose work centers on lifting overlooked contributors to American musical history. She appears Friday for a talk and demonstration about her recent book Go Back and Fetch It, moderated by music writer and fiddler Kristina Gaddy. Other headliners include Joseph Decosimo & Stephanie Coleman, described as "two of the most capable and compelling interpreters of Old-time music," who have performed together for nearly two decades; The Wild Shoats, winners of the Appalachian String Band Music Festival's Neo-Traditional Band Competition in 2023; and Jerron Paxton, an acclaimed blues singer-songwriter once described by the Wall Street Journal as "virtually the only music-maker of his generation" to fully assimilate blues from the 1920s and '30s.

Notable father-daughter duo Dirk & Amelia Powell bring Louisiana Cajun traditions merged with Appalachian heritage—Dirk has toured with Joan Baez, Eric Clapton, and Loretta Lynn, while Amelia is known for her hard-driving guitar playing and soulful vocals. Eddie Bond, a National Heritage Fellowship recipient and preserver of old-time traditions from Galax, Virginia, performs with his wife Bonnie and banjo player Jared Boyd. Charm City Junction, a Baltimore-based quartet featuring clawhammer banjo, fiddle, button accordion, and upright bass, channels the city's intersecting Irish, Old Time, and Bluegrass traditions. International music also features prominently: Stanley & The Ten Sleepless Knights perform Virgin Islands quelbe music, and a special collaboration pairs GRAMMY-winning American roots artists Cathy Fink and Marcy Marxer with Chinese classical hammered dulcimer player Chao Tian in a program called From China to Appalachia, exploring connections across cultures and musical traditions.

The Festival Experience

Beyond performances across multiple stages, all featured artists lead intimate workshops, reflecting the festival's commitment to passing on "sacred melodies, rhythms and lyrics from one generation to the next." The festival includes a signature square dance held in honor of Eileen Carson Schatz, with callers Becky Hill and Janine Smith leading participation-based events. Family programming runs throughout the weekend, and the jamming scene welcomes musicians of all abilities to grab their instruments and play. The festival sets on the gorgeous waterfront campus of the Baltimore Museum of Industry with stunning views of the Baltimore skyline and waterfront. As local musician Eileen Carson Schatz expressed, "I've wanted to see this happen in Baltimore for over 30 years. This makes me so happy to see." Artists have noted that "The Old Time Community needs a festival like this," capturing the long-awaited cultural gathering the festival represents for Baltimore's roots music scene.