Join us in welcoming the 2026 Folk Festival with a seated listening concert featuring a debut performance from this stunning new trio!Welcome to the 2026 edition and the 12th annual Bellingham Folk Festival!FeaturingLaurel Bliss and John Clark&nbsp;&nbsp;7-7:45 pm&nbsp;Laurel Bliss and John Clark have been making music together in their home in Bellingham since 1986.&nbsp;&nbsp;Whether playing Old Time and Cajun music with the Happy Valley Sluggers or singing old Country and Bluegrass gems from their songbooks, they are having a beautiful musical life.Sami Braman, Allison De Groot, and Quinn Bachand&nbsp;8-9 pm&nbsp;Sami Braman has been playing the fiddle since she was 6 years old, coming up amid the music festivals and jamming communities of the Pacific Northwest’s vibrant traditional Old-Time music scene. A member of The Onlies and a frequent collaborator with&nbsp;Willie Watson, she has performed and&nbsp;taught at festivals like Fiddle Tunes, MerleFest, Green Mountain Bluegrass Festival, and Pickathon.&nbsp;Sami and Willie just wrapped up a run opening up for Alison Krauss and Union Station on their Summer 2025 Arcadia tour. She's a tune-writer and honored to present a new project of original and traditional tunes joined by Allison De Groot and Quinn Bachand. Allison de Groot’s banjo playing; simultaneously spacious, detailed and intensely rhythmic, has earned her awards from the JUNOs, Americana Music Award, Canadian Folk Music Awards and most recently the Steve Martin Prize for Excellence in Banjo. She tours consistently with fiddler Tatiana Hargreaves, percussive dancer Nic Gareiss and the Transatlantic Sessions House Band led by Jerry Douglas.&nbsp;Quinn Bachand is a versatile guitarist whose distinctive playing blend’s genres from Celtic traditional to jazz. This unique artistry has earned him accolades including Grammy nomination and has led to collaborations with acclaimed musicians such as Sami Braman and Allison de Groot.&nbsp;