Sunday, Aug. 31 at 12 p.m. — RANDOLPH — Chandler’s New World Festival continues its tradition of presenting vibrant Celtic and French Canadian music and dance on Sunday, Aug. 31. This year’s festival has been designated a Top Ten Summer Event by the Vermont Chamber of Commerce.
The daylong event begins at 12-noon on Labor Day Sunday and celebrates the region’s Celtic and French American musical heritage brought to northern New England by English, Scottish, Irish and French-Canadian immigrants. With Randolph’s Main Street closed to traffic, the festival site is an intimate pedestrian village. Nearly 75 of the best regional and international musicians play concerts, offer workshops, play in dance bands, and share tunes and traditions.
Headlining the Festival line-up this year is Irish fiddler extraordinaire Liz Carroll. She’ll be joined by world-class dancer Nic Gareiss who has performed with many of the luminaries of traditional music from Ireland, Scotland, and North America. De Temps Antan returns after a two-year hiatus with its joyful traditional Québécois music. Making its debut at this year’s festival is Ten Strings and a Goat Skin, a young award-winning trio that celebrates the music of the Irish and Francophone cultures of Prince Edward Island. Long-time New World Festival fans will welcome the return of Prydein and their rousing closing performance in the Dance Tent. A complete listing of this year’s performers can be found at www.NewWorldFestival.com.
Central to the Festival’s success is its core of more than 100 enthusiastic volunteers whose only payment is the gratitude of the community and the joy brought to patrons and performers. Their cheerful assistance to visitors at all performance venues, in the food tent, at the admissions gate, and in the festival store are notable and one of many reasons long-time fans of the festival keep returning.
Children aged 12 and under are free and an array of creative activities in the children’s tent, including an instrument petting zoo, a young musicians showcase, and performances by Jon Gailmor and The No Strings Marionette Company, make the festival family-friendly. An array of food and drink offerings from local organizations and caterers will satisfy diverse appetites and area artisans will offer specialty foods and crafts for sale.
Tickets are available by calling the Chandler Box Office at 802-728-6464 between 3 and 6 p.m. weekdays. Chandler Center for the Arts is located at 71-73 Main St., Randolph. For more info, visit www.NewWorldFestival.com. All performance sites are wheelchair accessible.
