At FloydFest, you’ll find an engaging, hands-on learning environment at every twist and turn of the woodsy pathways that lead through our mountain venue. Our Virginia Folklife Workshop Porch, supported in part by a partnership with Ferrum College, is one of our most picturesque stages, featuring both legends and hidden gems of the Appalachian mountain music culture. The Porch is hosted by knowledgeable and entertaining Director of the Virginia Folklife Foundation, Jon Lohman. Scheduled visitors to the ‘porch scene’ over the years have included the likes of Taj Mahal, Ralph Stanley, Jorma Kaukonen, Chris Thile, and a host of others, and the intimate environment, the stories told and insights shared, are rare and priceless. Beyond the ‘yard’ of the workshop porch, you’ll find hands-on-how-to’s ranging from bee-keeping and primitive-tool making to hula-hooping!
FloydFest’ ‘Panel Discussions’ have evolved in recent years to renowned speakers and activists engaging with headlining artists and the FloydFest audience, all participating in energetic discussions ranging from sustainability issues to the changing and evolving music industry. From Noah Levine, Buddhist-punk-author of Against the Stream, and founder of Dharma Punx, to Sam Cutler, former manager of the Grateful Dead and the Rolling Stones, sharing the inside experience of the music scene at that time, our Panel Discussions are lively, free-thinking forums open to everybody!