Six Michigan acts spanning early country, gospel, Tejano, Kuchipudi dance, Carnatic music and bluegrass will take the stage when East Lansing's Red Cedar Roots Festival opens on Friday, Aug. 14, marking the city's first folk festival since the Great Lakes Folk Festival went on hiatus nine years ago.
The free, two-night event runs Friday, Aug. 14, and Saturday, Aug. 15, on a roofed stage on Albert Avenue between M.A.C. Avenue and Grove Street in downtown East Lansing. Organizers released the complete performer schedule this week.
Friday (6:30–8:30 p.m.)
- The Velvet Boys (early country), 6:30–7:20 p.m.
- Kritya Dance Ensemble (Indian Kuchipudi dance), 7:40–8:30 p.m.
Saturday (5–9:30 p.m.)
- The Flint Southernaires (quartet gospel), 5–5:50 p.m.
- Celestina y Los Sanchez (Tejano/conjunto), 6:10–7 p.m.
- Yamini Kalluri and Kritya Music Ensemble (Kuchipudi dance and Carnatic music), 7:30–8:20 p.m.
- Wilson Thicket (bluegrass/Americana), 8:40–9:30 p.m.
Festival coordinator Juliet Levy-Weston, who served as technical coordinator for the Great Lakes Folk Festival from 2002 to 2017, assembled the lineup alongside talent booker Micah Ling and Sarah Reckhow, chair of the East Lansing Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee.
"Our goal this year is to remind Greater Lansing of the wonderful feelings of community and fun that so many enjoyed during the GLFF years, and to experience some of the rich and varied music and dance traditions of our region through this year's programming," Levy-Weston told East Lansing Info on Aug. 5.
The idea took shape after East Lansing councilmember Mark Meadows helped organize a community panel in fall 2024 to explore whether reviving a folk festival was feasible. A community survey drew roughly 600 responses, overwhelmingly in favor.
Among the performers is Lansing-based dancer and choreographer Yamini Kalluri, founder of the Kritya Foundation, who trained in Kuchipudi under Padmasri Dr. Sobha Naidu in Hyderabad and studied at the Martha Graham School in New York. The Flint Southernaires, a gospel quartet celebrating 60 years together in 2026, round out a lineup the city's event page describes as showcasing Michigan artists performing traditional music and dance from a wide range of cultural backgrounds.
A children's activity tent will offer simple craft projects and musical instruments to try. Organizers encourage attendees to dine at more than a dozen nearby restaurants; parking details are available at cityofeastlansing.com/parking.
Volunteers are still needed. Interested residents can find details at cityofeastlansing.com/RedCedarRootsFest, according to a city press release.
