It was a beautiful day for music Sunday, August 29th at Rose Larissa Park in East Providence where over 40 bands and artists played the 7th annual Rhode Island Folk Festival.

Over 1,000 fans attended the free event, which featured craft vendors and food trucks, along with a variety of local musicians performing folk to rock, alt-pop to Native American drumming. With the majority of performers coming from Rhode Island, it’s clear the range of local talent is impressive.

In its 7th year, the RI Folk Festival has grown into one of the state’s major summer music events. Among Sunday’s attendees were the Mayor of East Providence, Bob DaSilva, and the Lt. Governor of Rhode Island, Sabina Matos, who presented the Festival with a citation honoring the event.

WhatsUpNewp’s Rick Farrell was there and shares some photos below.

Lifestyle Editor Ken Abrams writes about music, the arts and more for What'sUpNewp. He is also an Editor and Writer for Hey Rhody Media. Ken DJ's "The Kingston Coffeehouse," a roots/folk/rock radio show every Tuesday, 6-9 PM on WRIU 90.3 FM. He is a former educator in the Scituate, RI school system where he taught Social Studies for over 30 years. He is on the board of the Rhode Island Folk Festival and Newport Live (formerly Common Fence Music), a non-profit that brings diverse musical acts to...

​Rick Farrell of Mojo Photography has been drawn to music his entire life. Maybe it was growing up in Newport, RI, host to the venerable Newport Jazz and Folk festivals. Or maybe it was the countless hours listening to his older siblings' classic LP's and 45's on the stereo in the 1960's. Whatever the reason, there has always been a strong connection. He had originally taken up photography as a hobby, eventually gravitating towards shooting professionally in 2007. Never knowing what his true...