Friends of Folk Festival
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For our friends unable to attend in person, you can view the event on our YouTube channel. This live stream is brought to you by Estes Park's own Rocky Mountain Channel.
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Dick Orleans Legacy -
We celebrate Dick Orleans with music and community. All proceeds from this free music festival go to fund scholarships, local creatives and future Friends of Folk Festivals.
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Did we say FREE ADMISSION? Yes, we did! Claim your spot early. Be sure to bring chairs or blankets to sit and watch the entertainment. Share the news and encourage all your friends to join us for this wonderful community music festival.
The Estes Arts District strives to carry the torch forward with Dick's goals in mind of encouraging new artists to perform. He brought a spotlight to new talents and encouraged ever evolving musical influences into the Friends of Folk style of entertainment. This style, encompassing both classic well-loved music with fresh new voices, creates an exciting night of entertainment. A scholarship fund has been established with Dick’s passions in mind. Dick Orleans was always supporting others to pursue their art, whether music or photography or anything! He inspired so many, and we want to keep that energy going. |
SCHOLARSHIPS To apply for the Dick Orleans Scholarship, fill out our simple application and submit for review. Deadline June 19th...Submit your 2026 application. LOCAL PERFORMERS Please follow the guidelines to schedule an audition. Talent application is now closed for 2026. SPONSORS, VENDORS, VOLUNTEER If you would like to be a Sponsor, book a vendor table or Volunteer to help at the Friends of Folk Festival, please contact us. SHARE YOUR STORY Submit your story by June 15th |
2026 Planning in Progress
*This schedule and performers are subject to change.
Alleged Schedule - 2026
2:30 Introduction
2:35 Maggie Ray + The Last Wild Ones
3:15 Morrígan
3:50 Equally Challenged
4:55 Banshee Tree
6:20 The Goonies
8:00 The Burroughs
2:30 Introduction
2:35 Maggie Ray + The Last Wild Ones
3:15 Morrígan
3:50 Equally Challenged
4:55 Banshee Tree
6:20 The Goonies
8:00 The Burroughs
Musical Headliners - 2026
The Burroughs
The Burroughs:
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From humble beginnings covering soul standards in their unlikely hometown of Greeley, Colorado, The Burroughs have traversed a decade of growth and reinvention to become a band that defies odds and transcends categorization. Since 2013, the 9-piece act has lit up stages around the country with their trademark brand of “sweaty soul music,” an invitation for audiences to dance, celebrate, and connect under a unifying and infectious groove.
Bandleader and frontman Johnny Burroughs sings, dances, and screams audiences into a revival-like frenzy. His dynamite backing band includes sizzling horns and powerhouse rhythm section made up of some of Colorado’s most versatile and in-demand musicians. The Burroughs are: Alec Bell - Trumpet Briana Harris - Alto Saxophone Hayden Farr - Baritone Saxophone Jeremy Fallis - Trombone Brian Claxton - Bass Mary Claxton - Drums/Vocals Spencer Zweifel - Keys Jack McManaman - Guitar Johnny Burroughs - Vocals |
THE GOONIES
The Goonies:
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Based in Boulder, CO, this 4-piece rock band will rip your shirts and bras off with their shredding guitar solos and unravel your sense of space and time. Founded in 1985, after escaping a kidnapping by a large sasquatch, the young rockstars decided to travel through time and come light up the 21st century. While you may wake up with crimped hair, a sore neck, and no recollection of the last 12 hours, The Goonies never... ever.... say Hangover.
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Banshee Tree
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An indie psychedelic pop/rock band with sharply-written songs, jazz-inspired guitar solos, saxophone textures, and grooves that nod to the dance floor, they've spent nearly a decade evolving their sound. That fusion reaches a new peak with Bad Luck, a restless and unapologetically diverse album that captures a celebrated band chasing down new horizons.
For years, Banshee Tree's evolution took place not in the recording studio, but onstage. A weekly residency at a speakeasy in Boulder, Colorado, gave the musicians an opportunity to reach beyond their origins as a swing band, while the addition of new members — including veterans of Denver's funk and punk-rock scenes — helped broaden the group's influences. Banshee Tree began gigging in other cities, too, busking with street performers in New Orleans and sharing late-night jam sessions with bands in the Pacific Northwest. Before long, their fusion of acoustic and electric styles had grown so wide that Banshee Tree could play virtually anywhere: dubstep festivals in California, EDM bills in Colorado, and bluegrass shows with genre-benders like Leftover Salmon and The Infamous Stringdusters. |
Equally Challenged:
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For over a decade, this five-piece has been blending funk, Latin, rock, and deep-pocket groove.
Equally Challenged combines expert songcraft, vocal harmony and a pocket groove for a unique funk rock sound. Band members include Jesse Turner, Paul Maley, Dan Kozlowski, Garrett Evans and Ian Wurst, each of whom have contributed to the northern Colorado music scene individually before forming Equally Challenged. |
MORRíGAN
Morrigan:
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Stories from Kae Morgan -
Morrigan, the musical project of Kae Morgan, blends raw storytelling with the haunting simplicity of folk music. Writing about grief, death, love, and yearning, her songs carry an emotional depth that invites listeners into the quiet spaces between life’s most difficult and beautiful moments. With every note, Morrigan creates a space for reflection, offering music that speaks to the soul and honors the complexities of the human experience. |
Maggie Ray & The Last Wild Ones
Maggie Ray & The Last Wild Ones
folk, pop, indie rock, alt-country grit |
Maggie Ray and The Last Wild Ones is a Portland-based folk-pop acoustic group with a wide-ranging sound, from intimate singer-songwriter ballads to powerful indie rock infused with alt-country grit. Front person and commanding vocalist Ray is a community-minded dreamer whose shows blur the line between performance and gathering. Blending humor, tenderness, and a touch of wild queer magic, Maggie created spaces where everyone is invited to exhale, laugh, and feel held. Their yeehaw-pop storytelling leaves audiences feeling both cathartic and energized.
Ray spent 2021–2022 living in Estes Park, where she first started singing and playing guitar and began writing the songs that would shape her sound. This Friends of Folk, she returns to town with a full band and a full sound. With her writing at the center of it all, her songs ask you to listen closely and sit with the feelings that come up. |
Beyond the Stage
Mel Soul
Mel Soul
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Melanie Lewis has been songwriting for over14 years. It's her passion and is a full-time musician. She has been vocally trained by vocal professionals such as Rebecca Chock and Mindy Pack.
In 2009 she had the great opportunity singing with the Provo High School Chamber Singers for an exclusive concert at Carnegie Hall in New York City. 2012 was when her love of songwriting began. Since then she has worked with songwriter professionals such Rich Parkinson, Shane Adams, Johnny London and most recently for a brief review of her work the well-known accomplished singer and songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. Her goal as a songwriter and performer is to inspire her fans to love themselves to love everyone else. More recently, Mel was chosen to receive a scholarship from the Estes Arts District for this past year to attend the Upstream Songwriters retreat, here in Estes Park. Mel states "I love my songwriting community friends in Colorado." Mel is traveling out from Orem Utah to entertain us during the Friends of Folk stage intermissions. |
VENDORS:
Good nosh by gosh, it's gonna be good!
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Tasty Adult Beverages from our local Craft Beverage Establishments are available for purchase.
Lumpy Ridge Brewing Co.
Rock Cut Brewing Co.
Avant Garde Aleworks
Estes Park Brewery
Snowy Peaks Winery
Elkins Distillery
Rock Cut Brewing Co.
Avant Garde Aleworks
Estes Park Brewery
Snowy Peaks Winery
Elkins Distillery
All proceeds from this event benefit the Estes Arts District. No outside alcoholic beverages will be allowed in this public park and festival grounds.
We are honored to receive support from:
Newendorp Family Charitable Foundation Fund
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2026 Sponsors
We send a big THANK YOU out to our local sponsors who continue to support making this event possible:
Town of Estes Park
Northern Colorado Foundation/ Newendorp Family Charitable Fund
Kind Coffee
Estes Arts District
Twin Owls Steakhouse
Tom Thomas Realtor First Colorado Realty
Green Jeep Tours
Earthwood Collections
Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies
Aspen and Evergreen Gallery
Art Studio Tour
Estes Valley Library
Susan Fereday State Farm
Lumpy Ridge Brewing Company
Mary Murphy First Colorado Realty
Elkins Distilling Company
Woods & Waves VHR
Rations - Mobile Provisions
Rocky Mountain Channel
Estes Park News
SnowyGrass Music Festival
Town of Estes Park
Northern Colorado Foundation/ Newendorp Family Charitable Fund
Kind Coffee
Estes Arts District
Twin Owls Steakhouse
Tom Thomas Realtor First Colorado Realty
Green Jeep Tours
Earthwood Collections
Fine Arts Guild of the Rockies
Aspen and Evergreen Gallery
Art Studio Tour
Estes Valley Library
Susan Fereday State Farm
Lumpy Ridge Brewing Company
Mary Murphy First Colorado Realty
Elkins Distilling Company
Woods & Waves VHR
Rations - Mobile Provisions
Rocky Mountain Channel
Estes Park News
SnowyGrass Music Festival
You can view the 2020 Friend of Folk CoVid Edition fall concert series.
The 2020 CoVid edition concert series can be viewed on YouTube TV. The Live stream was recorded by The Rocky Mountain Channel/Nick Molle Productions.
This event is created and planned by the Estes Arts District. Please let us know if you would like to volunteer to help out.
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Like us on Facebook to get reminders and updates.
Join our mailing list for regular newsletters.