2026 ncff lineup is here
The Roots featuring Questlove Join the Festival as Saturday’s Headliner
Grammy Winner Molly Tuttle headlines on Sunday
(Greensboro, N.C.) May 11, 2026 – The North Carolina Folk Festival is thrilled to announce the artist lineup for its 2026 event, returning to downtown Greensboro from September 18-20.
With three exciting days of music spanning five stages and two auxiliary stages and featuring more than 50 performances, each free to attend, this year’s festival promises to be the biggest celebration of diverse musical genres in the Southeast, highlighting how all music is rooted in folk traditions.
The 2026 NC Folk Festival headliners include:
Saturday, September 19: The Roots ft Questlove
Sunday, September 20: Molly Tuttle
Stay tuned: the headliner for Friday, September 18 is another nationally-recognized favorite, set to be announced in June.
"Every year, I think the previous festival can't be topped, and then I find myself even more excited and proud than before," said Jodee Ruppel, Executive Director of the NC Folk Festival. "Having The Roots, pioneers of hip hop dating back to 1987 and now the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon for more than a decade, perform at the 2026 festival is simply amazing. Then you add grammy winner and guitar virtuoso, Molly Tuttle, shaping the bluegrass and americana space. To be able to cross generations, genres, and have such acclaimed acts be accessible to all, is truly capturing the mission of The NC Folk Festival. "
In addition to the headliners, the festival will feature dozens of nationally and internationally acclaimed artists, groups, and acts, including Madison Cunningham, Jackie Venson, Susto Stringband, William Prince and Afro-Cuban jazz group OKAN (both from Canada), Morocco’s Samir Langus, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Jacob Sharp of Mipso, Rett Madison, and local favorites Ranford Almond and Victoria Victoria.
To see the artists revealed in this initial lineup, visit www.ncfolkfestival.app
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About the NC Folk Festival | The North Carolina Folk Festival, North Carolina’s largest free music festival, to be held September 18-20, 2026, in downtown Greensboro, is a nonprofit organization (501c3) that produces transformative celebrations of cultures; where music, art and food unite communities, inspire creativity and drive lasting cultural and economic growth across North Carolina. Visit www.ncfolkfestival.com for more information.
About The Roots | The Roots, founded in 1987 in Philadelphia by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, are a pioneering hip-hop band renowned for live instrumentation, blending jazz, funk, and soul. Originally named Square Roots, they achieved critical acclaim with albums like Things Fall Apart and now serve as The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon house band.
About Molly Tuttle | Molly Tuttle (born January 14, 1993) is a Grammy-winning American bluegrass guitarist, singer, and songwriter known for her virtuoso flatpicking. Raised in California, she became the first woman to win the IBMA Guitar Player of the Year award (2017, 2018) and secured back-to-back Grammys for Best Bluegrass Album (2023, 2024) with her band, Golden Highway.
