Salisbury, MD — The City of Salisbury’s Arts, Business, and Culture Department has launched a new community campaign, “I’m In for 2026!”, inviting businesses, organizations, and individuals to pledge early support for next year’s Maryland Folk Festival, taking place September 18–20, 2026 in Downtown Salisbury.
The campaign celebrates the collective spirit that has made the Maryland Folk Festival one of Maryland’s most beloved free cultural events.
“This festival belongs to the people of Salisbury,” said Caroline O’Hare, Events & Culture Manager. “Every ‘I’m In!’ represents someone who believes in the power of creativity and community. Each early commitment helps keep this incredible weekend alive and free for everyone to enjoy.”
Early sponsors will be featured in social media posts, receive exclusive early-season recognition, and be invited to a spring celebration event.
The 2026 campaign aims to secure $197,000 in sponsorship commitments by April, ensuring another unforgettable year of music, dance, food, and culture in the heart of Downtown Salisbury.
To learn more or pledge your support, visit https://mdfolkfest.com/sponsor/
About the Maryland Folk Festival
The Maryland Folk Festival follows Salisbury’s tenure of the National Folk Festival — one of America’s largest, most prestigious and longest-running celebrations of arts, culture, and heritage. A free, large-scale three-day outdoor event, the Maryland Folk Festival celebrates the roots, richness and variety of American culture. It features about 250 of the nation’s finest traditional musicians, dancers, craftspeople and other keepers of culture in performances, workshops, and demonstrations, plus children’s activities, savory regional and ethnic cuisines and craft brews, non-stop participatory dancing, storytelling and more. Best of all, it’s FREE! https://mdfolkfest.com/
About the City of Salisbury, Maryland
Founded in 1732, Salisbury is the county seat of Wicomico County, a place where John Smith touched land in 1608 during his exploration of the Chesapeake Bay, bringing him in contact with the Wighcocomoco or Wicomico, the Nause, the Kusk’arawack and the Nantaquack or Nanticoke tribes who had lived in the region for several millennia. Situated on Maryland’s historic Eastern Shore at the crossroads of the Delmarva Peninsula, Salisbury is now one of the region’s largest cities, and serves as the capital of the Eastern Shore, a rural area defined by its agricultural and maritime traditions, landscapes and industries. The Chesapeake Bay is central to this distinctive identity. Though a relatively small city, Salisbury is the geographic and economic hub of one of the nation’s fastest-growing Metropolitan Statistical Areas.
The City of Salisbury is working to build its reputation as an arts and culture destination and is aligning its downtown development and revitalization efforts with the arts. Salisbury believes hosting the Maryland Folk Festival is the perfect catalyst to further a cultural renaissance and urban renewal. https://salisbury.md/
ABCD Events
The Arts, Business and Culture Department is responsible for fostering Salisbury’s thriving economic climate through supporting business, expanding economic opportunity, promoting artistic expression, hosting unique experiences and maintaining regional attractions such as the Salisbury Zoo and Poplar Hill Mansion. By producing signature events, facilitating business incentives and collaborating with stakeholders, this department strives to make Salisbury a place where arts, business and culture intersect and flourish. https://salisbury.md/departments/arts-business-culture
