The Farm Aid Music and Food Festival will return to the Xfinity Theatre this fall for the second time since 2018. The funds raised by the festival will benefit Connecticut and other Northeastern farmers.
Willie Nelson organized the concert in 1985 to provide funds for struggling farming families.
"The event is really geared toward shining a spotlight on farmers. So we move the concert around the country so we can showcase different areas and different farmers,” said Jennifer Fahy, Farm Aid’s communications director.
Fahy says this year’s concert will showcase both Connecticut and Northeastern farmers.
“In 2018, when we were in Hartford for the first time, we really focused on Connecticut farmers. This year since we’re back so soon, we’re expanding that to ... look at farmers across the Northeast and give them an opportunity to be on the stage and share their stories,” Fahy said. “We do that through videos, social media and written articles, and additionally, we do some events that are geared towards farmers.”
Farm Aid also gives local farmers the opportunity to sell their produce at the full-day event.
“Farmers do get to bring their produce to Farm Aid. We do this great thing called ‘Homegrown Concessions,’ where we are substituting all the ingredients for the food sold at the concession stands at our festival so that it’s coming from family-farmed sources,” she said.
Tickets for the Sept. 25 concert will be available for purchase on Friday.
