Lowell Folk Festival
Various Locations, Downtown Lowell
July 25-27
Free
More information

These days, the phrase "free folk" can carry a host of connotations, but the Lowell Folk Festival sticks with the one that has the broadest appeal: "free" as in beer, not as in freaky. This year's festival marks the 22nd year of free folk music in downtown Lowell, if you count the three years that Lowell hosted the touring National Folk Festival, and organizers claim that Lowell's is the largest free folk festival in the country.

Even more slippery than the word "free" is the word "folk," and the organizers of the festival have interpreted it as broadly as possible. The event features music from New England's many ethnic groups, playing continuously on six separate stages. Highlights include Jamaican ska (the Skatalites), Louisiana Zydeco (Jeffery Broussard & the Creole Cowboys), mariachi and norteño (Boston's Mariachi Estampa de America), and Malian balafon (Medford's Balla Kouyaté). And vendors will offer food from those New England ethnic traditions known for their deliciousness.

Lowell is a $6.75 commuter rail ticket away from North Station: a bargain when all the entertainment is free.

Image of Balla Kouyaté from the Lowell Folk Festival website.