Mavis Staples, Tommy Emmanuel, Vienna Teng, The Rebel Eves, DuPont Phillips, Tray Wellington and emcee Jeff Daniels will round out the 2027 Ann Arbor festival. Details at Local Spins.
Ann Arbor Folk Festival Headliner: Trampled by Turtles (Photo/Eric Stoike)
Those seeking a mid-winter cavalcade of renowned and emerging stars might look no further than the 2027 edition of the Ann Arbor Folk Festival at the University of Michigan’s Hill Auditorium.
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The two-day festival will celebrate its 50th anniversary in late January with one of the strongest lineups in recent memory, including Trampled by Turtles, Colin Hay, Richard Thompson, Mavis Staples and Tommy Emmanuel, while also showcasing Michigan acts The War and Treaty, The Rebel Eves, DuPont Phillips and Jeff Daniels, who’ll serve as the emcee.
Today’s announcement of the roster for the Jan. 29-30 festival that’s a fundraiser for The Ark in Ann Arbor comes two days before tickets go on sale to Ark members, with tickets available to the general public at 10 a.m. Friday (Sept. 25). Tickets — $56.50-$281.50 — will be sold online here.
Colin Hay (Photo/Jamie Geysbeek)
Friday’s opening night will be headlined by chart-topping, Minnesota folk/bluegrass band Trampled by Turtles, with English songwriter and acclaimed guitarist Richard Thompson and band, Michigan-based soulful Americana group The War and Treaty, award-winning bluegrass banjoist Tray Wellington and Americana super trio The Rebel Eves, featuring Michigan’s Grace Theisen, Katie Greene and Jilian Linklater.
Saturday will feature the Colin Hay Acoustic Band, led by Scottish-Australian singer-songwriter Colin Hay (Men at Work), legendary gospel/soul singer Mavis Staples, guitar virtuoso Tommy Emmanuel, chamber folk pianist Vienna Teng and Ypsilanti duo DuPont Phillips (featuring songwriters Chris DuPont and Kylee Phillips).
Daniels, the Chelsea-based actor, masterful storyteller and entertaining singer-songwriter, will serves as the emcee both nights.
Michael and Tanya Trotter of The War and Treaty (Photo/Derek Ketchum)
Barb Chaffer Authier, marketing director for The Ark, said the 2027 festival not only will present “a taste of what’s happening on the leading edge of acoustic music while delving into the very heart of folk and roots traditions,” but also returns “some standout artists from previous festivals.”
Get more information online at theark.org and theark.org/folk-festival.
The 2026 festival featured Dawes, The Crane Wives, Amos Lee, Greensky Bluegrass, Junior Brown and more. Revisit Local Spins coverage of last year’s festival online here: https://localspins.com/ann-arbor-folk-festival-gets-rootsy-rocking-with-the-crane-wives-amos-lee-dawes-local-spins/
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