Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance

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The Finger Lakes GrassRoots Festival of Music and Dance is an annual festival held the second-to-last weekend of July in Trumansburg, New York, a small town ten miles north of Ithaca. The GrassRoots Festival, or simply GrassRoots, as it is known, draws nearly 15,000 visitors throughout the course of four days. GrassRoots presents over 70 musicians, bands and dance troupes on four simultaneously-running stages continually throughout the long weekend. Genres represented among the musicians include bluegrass, Cajun, zydeco, African, reggae, country, Americana, Native American music, old-time music, Irish music, jam band, rock and roll, hip hop, Conjunto, rockabilly and more.

GrassRoots was founded by popular Americana band Donna the Buffalo and celebrated its fifteenth year in 2005. Artists that have performed at GrassRoots include:

Ani DiFranco
10,000 Maniacs
Patty Loveless
John Anderson
Rickie Lee Jones
Los Lobos
Jennie Stearns
Rusted Root
Old Crow Medicine Show
Michael Franti & Spearhead
Highwoods Stringband
Bubba George
NRBQ
Johnny Dowd
Neon Baptist
John Specker
Lloyd Cannady & The Flying Clouds
Solas
Altan
Cherish the Ladies
Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
Ralph Stanley
Del McCoury
The Mahotella Queens
Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited
Boubacar Traore
Tinariwen
Mamadou Diabate
Samite of Uganda
Justin Hinds and the Dominoes
Jim Lauderdale
Toots and the Maytals
Snake Oil Medicine Show
Keith Frank and the Soileau Zydeco Band
Keith Secola
Red Stick Ramblers
Big Leg Emma
Colorblind James Experience

In addition to the musical performances at GrassRoots, attendees may also visit the Art Barn, an art gallery featuring primarily local artists; a Healing Arts area, where free massages, Reiki, acupuncture, and other healing therapies are performed; a children's area; dance workshops and more.