BURLINGTON, VT—Vermont Folklife’s 2025 Young Tradition Festival takes place Friday May 9th and Saturday, May 10th at Contois Auditorium in Burlington. The Festival, which has taken place in Burlington in May for over 20 years, is a chance for young people both to perform and be inspired by music and dance traditions from Vermont and beyond. This year it features four local dance leaders, and the Maine-based trad band, the Pine Tree Flyers.
The festival opens with a Community Potluck (5/9, 5:30 pm, Contois Auditorium, 149 Church St., Burlington) and dance leader roundtable. The evening’s main event is a Community Dance Party (7:30 – 9:00 pm) during which community-recognized dance leaders Migmar Tsering (Tibetan musician and dance leader), Mediha Goretic (Bosnian dance leader), Urmila Chhetri (Bhutanese Nepali and Bollywood Dance Instructor), and Aline Mukiza (Burundian singer and dance leader), with host Mary Wesley, will lead participants through circle dances from Tibet and Bosnia, Bollywood steps, and a dance from Burundi. All ages are welcome, and no partner or experience is necessary. Admission is by donation (suggested: $15, no one turned away for lack of funds).
Saturday morning our Student/Mentor Showcase (5/10, 10:00 am-1:00 pm) will provide entertainment for the opening day of the Burlington Farmers Market (345 Pine Street). Acts featuring students and their instructors performing together include folk fiddling, Tibetan Dranyen, Jazz ukulele, West African drumming, Scottish harp, and Bollywood and Afro-Caribbean dance.
Saturday afternoon, the Pine Tree Flyers will host a workshop for intermediate to advanced musicians (5/10, 2:00-3:30 pm, Contois Auditorium) in which the band will lead participants through the tune “Green Mountain Petronella.” (Suggested fee: $10-35. Register online or at the door.)
The Festival concludes Saturday evening with a concert by the Pine Tree Flyers and the Young Tradition Touring Group (5/10, 7:00pm, Contois Auditorium). The Pine Tree Flyers (Katie McNally (fiddle), Emily Troll (accordion), Benjamin Foss (guitar), and Neil Pearlman (piano) are four of the finest voices in New England’s traditional music scene who shine a renewed light on the tunes of the Northeast with excitement and respect. The Young Tradition Touring Group, 22 young musicians lead by Elsie Gawler and Ethan Tischler, is just back from their New England tour, with a repertoire influenced by the traditional music of Québec, Vermont, and Maine as well as popular current influences from Scandinavia and Old Time playing. (Tickets: $25 available online or at the door)
Tickets and information about the festival are available on the Vermont Folklife Website: www.vtfolklife.org/ytfest
The Young Tradition Festival is a program of Vermont Folklife, whose mission is to deepen our understanding of each other by engaging with communities across the state to document and share everyday expressions of tradition, innovation, and culture.
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