The University of Chicago Folk Festival was started in 1961 by a student club called the Folklore Society. It has since become an annual UofC tradition, and the longest student-run folk festival in the U.S. Every year, in the bitter February cold, hundreds of attendees converge at Mandel Hall for folk music concerts unlike any other. From its inception, the Fest has uplifted the kind of music you hear on back porches or in community dance halls. In addition to its concerts, it offers free, public workshops on everything from labor history to post-war blues harmonica to Georgian polyphony. The Folk Fest carries with it the legacy of the folk revival of the 60s and 70s, but unlike many relics of that era, it continues to grow and change, supported by a strong and diverse community. The festival is run entirely by volunteers, and organized entirely by UofC students— all undergirded by a motley network of alumni, musicians, and folk aficionados, whose presence makes the Folklore Society unlike any other club on the UofC campus. The Fest has always transcended the barrier between campus and off-campus, between concert and hootenanny. The materials presented below offer a glimpse into the rich history of the Fest, and its many beloved idiosyncrasies.