Arkansas Folk Festival

The Arkansas Folk Festival fills Mountain View’s courthouse square on April 17 and 18, 2026, with traditional music, artisan booths, and the easy warmth that defines Ozark community gatherings. Fiddle tunes and banjo picking start in the morning and continue through early evening, with musicians setting up on the square’s open lawn and under pavilions while craft vendors line the sidewalks around the historic 1915 Stone County Courthouse. Food vendors serve fried pies, barbecue, and kettle corn, and admission is free, making it one of the region’s most accessible spring festivals. Families, couples, and solo travelers all find space to spread blankets and settle in for a day of music and browsing. Mountain View was incorporated on August 14, 1890, in a valley bordered by the Blue Mountain Range, and by the mid-20th century the town’s isolation had preserved musical traditions that were fading elsewhere in the Ozarks. The first Arkansas Folk Festival in 1963 drew 2,500 visitors to a town of fewer than 1,000 residents, launched by the Rackensack Folklore Society and education advocate Bessie Moore. That success eventually led to the Ozark Folk Center State Park, which opened in 1973 and now draws tens of thousands annually. The courthouse square remains the heart of Mountain View’s music scene, with impromptu jam sessions happening most Friday and Saturday nights year-round when weather permits. The White River runs about 15 miles west, offering trout fishing and float trips through limestone bluffs, and Blanchard Springs Caverns lies 12 miles northwest in the Ozark National Forest. Festival performers include local musicians whose families have played these songs for generations, alongside regional acts who travel the folk circuit. Expect old-time stringband music, gospel quartets, and occasional ballads sung a cappella by singers who learned them from grandparents. Craft booths showcase woodwork, pottery, quilts, and woven baskets, most made by artisans working in traditional techniques. The atmosphere stays relaxed, with no formal schedule beyond the general daylight hours and plenty of room to move between music, crafts, and food. Kids enjoy the open space and the chance to hear instruments up close, and the square’s central gazebo provides a focal point for larger group performances. Parking around the square fills early, so use lots along Highway 5 or arrive before 10:00 AM. Mountain View’s lodging options include inns, cabins, and bed-and-breakfasts, but Lake.com offers properties near the White River and surrounding lakes where you can combine festival days with time on the water. Between sets, grab lunch at PJ’s Rainbow Cafe, a local favorite serving home cooking and the famous banana split pie with chocolate chip cookie crust, or stop by Mi Pueblito for quick Mexican fare in a historic building on the square. Plan your Folk Festival weekend and find nearby lodging on Lake.com.