'Power to the Folk' is an event concept that has the idea of “promoting community and inclusivity through music" as core mission. We started developing it in the beginning of 2024 as a way of acting out our values in ways that go beyond just playing music. We are living in times where we see that it's necessary to create positive outlets to facilitate individuals and communities who are seeking a deeper connection with their surrounding and we believe that these events can be a perfect medium for that.
We chose the name Power to the Folk for the double meaning we see in it. Folk music is what we call traditional music and each country has its own unique heritage and that’s what we wanted to celebrate in the debut event. Folk is also a synonym for People. That’s who we want to empower through these events: local people and their communities. So when we say Power to the Folk! we say Power to the Music! and we say Power to the People!
The first edition of the event was held in our home town of Utrecht (Netherlands) in February 2024. The idea behind this first event was to bring together different cultural communities (Portuguese, Greek and Dutch) and promote inclusivity by celebrating the different cultural heritages through their traditional music. Check out the video on the right to get an impression of this first Power to the folk! edition.
The second edition was held within a community complex in Utrecht with the goal of promoting local folk musicians and supporting the community initiative, an alternative creative workspace run by volunteers.
We are inspired by the positive feedback and great turnout we got on the first Power to the Folk! events and we will keep on developing the concept and organising more of these events.