FAI Conference

The World’s Largest Gathering of the Folk Music Industry and Community

The Folk Alliance International Conference, presented by Folk Alliance International, is the world’s largest gathering of the folk music industry and community (crossing a diverse array of genres including Appalachian, Americana, Blues, Bluegrass, Celtic, Cajun, Global Roots, Hip-Hop, Old-Time, Singer-Songwriter, Spoken Word, Traditional, Zydeco, and various fusions).

The 2022 Folk Alliance International Conference will be a hybrid event, with the in-person portion being held at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, on May 18-22, 2022.

Our 2022 conference theme is Living Traditions and will showcase various traditional folk music forms regionally, nationally, and internationally. The theme will be explored through topics of music preservation, migration, evolution, and authenticity, while the Global Summit will highlight the work of folklorists.

2021 marked the bicentennial of the State of Missouri and through the conference theme, the history and traditions of the state will be celebrated.

The hand-stitched artwork for the 2022 conference is a nod to traditional folk art, the history of reference to birds in traditional songs, the concept of musical migration, and is a depiction of the Missouri State bird as it relates to the bicentennial.