Folk Alliance International (FAI), the leading global nonprofit for folk music, has announced its conference schedule through 2032, with New Orleans playing a prominent role. The Crescent City will host FAI’s annual event on January 21-25, 2026; January 23-27, 2030; and January 21-25, 2032.

“We are thrilled to return to New Orleans, a city rich with folklife, three times over the next decade,” said FAI Executive Director Jennifer Roe. She also expressed gratitude to New Orleans and Company, the New Orleans Tourism and Cultural Fund, and other local partners for their support.

The announcement was made at a special event in New Orleans, where FAI also highlighted its $50,000 Grants for Arts Projects award from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). The funding will support FAI’s mission of fostering the global folk music community by providing resources to artists, businesses, and nonprofit organizations.

Folk Alliance last held its conference in New Orleans in 2020, which Roe described as a “special experience.”

The 2025 conference is set for February 19-23 in Montréal, QC, featuring keynote speaker Allison Russell, 175 official artist showcases, and over 300 events.

FAI’s 37th annual conference will feature over one hundred and seventy-five artists officially showcasing, representing thirty-eight countries of origin, nineteen U.S. states, and all thirteen Canadian provinces, one of the larger slates of showcases in the conference’s history. The conference will be held at Montréal’s Sheraton Hotel.

Among the artists announced to be performing Official Showcases include JUNO Award-winner Ron Sexsmith, praised by the New York Times for his “soulful voice and masterful melodies”; contemporary roots singer-songwriter and Indigenous Music Award-winner Mimi O’Bonsawin, a member of the Odanak First Nation with mixed French Canadian and Abénaki heritage; the legendary Connie Kaldor, recipient of the Order of Canada, a Western Literature Association Award of Merit, and three JUNO Awards; and Tania Elizabeth, a fiddle player, songwriter, and vocalist who performed with the Avett Brothers, all bring their talents to the stage.

For more information, visit www.folk.org.