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On Saturday May 31 2025, start the summer by enjoying the Bishop Hill Folk Music Festival. Located in the village park in Bishop Hill Illinois, some of the best-known Illinois folk musicians, such as Bucky Halker, the Bucktown Americana Music Show, Chris Vallillo, and more will be performing. Their musical styles span a wide range of folk music including bluegrass, coal mine songs, and Woody Guthrie songs, to name just a few. All the park concerts are free and open to the public. Bring lawn chairs and enjoy the music!The music festival is named after Bishop Hill’s first folk musician. In the mid 1800’s, Jonas Danielson (“Doodle”) would travel around Bishop Hill and perform music on his fiddle for a meal or just a pail of milk. He was nicknamed “Doodle” because his favorite song was Yankee Doodle. A display about Doodle will be located in the park gazebo.
Music starts at 10 a.m. and continues throughout the day. Peoria’s singer-songwriter Barry Cloyd will start off the day performing songs from his 10 CDs. At 11:30 a.m., Chicago’s singer-songwriter Buck Halker will be playing songs about American Coal Miners. His program is sponsored by the IHC Road Scholars Bureau. After a lunch break, Chris Vallillo will perform at 1:30 p.m. Chris Vallillo is an award-winning rural singer/songwriter, folk musician and folklorist from Macomb, IL. The Bucktown Americana Music Show will finish off the day by performing at 3 p.m. If you're a fan of bluegrass, folk, Celtic, Americana, or old-time music, you'll love the Bucktown Americana Music Show.
This free event is funded in part by the Illinois Arts Council, the Illinois Humanities Council, the Galesburg Community Foundation and the Geneseo Foundation. For more details, you can call 309 927-3899 or email [email protected]. Information about this festival is also posted on the Bishop Hill Heritage Association Facebook page and at www.bishophillheritage.org.
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
103 North Bishop Hill Street, Bishop Hill, IL, United States, Illinois 61419
