How Folkways is Creating a Community You Want to Linger in

By Amanda Frost, Marketing Coordinator, Folkways

My sense of home is more than an address.

My sense of home is more than an address. It is a place where I feel connected to the people in my neighborhood and where I have access to experiences that make life feel full.

Seeking out community is an essential part of what makes a place feel like somewhere I belong, yet modern life is not designed to make connection easy. Corner stores have disappeared, third spaces often require memberships or purchases, and infrastructure is built around cars instead of people, which is why placemaking matters so deeply.

Folkways is a local nonprofit that creates free events and experiences designed to foster connection through markets, music, cultural programming, and public spaces. From 2003 to 2019, the average time adults spent with friends dropped from 60 hours to 35 hours per month.

Placemaking is not just about designing physical spaces. It is about creating belonging, identity, and emotional attachment to a city.

1. Creating Vibrant Spaces People Want to Spend Time In

Through events like Red River Market, Night Bazaar, and Christkindlmarkt, Folkways transforms ordinary spaces into places people genuinely want to gather and spend time in.

More than an opportunity to shop, these events often turn into a slower, fuller afternoon than people planned for. Someone may arrive at the Red River Market intending to quickly grab groceries, but end up staying for lunch while their child plays nearby with the blue blocks. More time is spent listening to live music, browsing local artists, cooling off by the splash pad, or stopping to chat with a community club they had never heard of before.

Along the way, they might unexpectedly run into someone they know or pause for a photo in front of the red truck simply because the atmosphere feels inviting and alive.

In 2025 alone, Folkways hosted 48 event days, helping create spaces where memories, traditions, and shared experiences naturally form.

2. Designing Spaces That Make Human Connection Easier

Folkways intentionally designs spaces that make it easier for people to connect with one another.

Their events are created to help people walk in, drop their guard, and naturally interact without pressure. At Christkindlmarkt, a communal craft table gives parents and children an easy reason to sit beside someone new and start a conversation while making something together.

Shared experiences also create connection naturally, whether that is strangers dancing together during a cover band set at Night Bazaar or families gathering around a cultural performance.

Consistent programming like the Red River Market every Saturday from July through October gives people repeated opportunities to recognize familiar faces and become regulars with vendors and attendees alike.

This year, Folkways is also inviting community clubs to the market, focusing on organizations with low or no cost barriers so people can discover hobbies and meet others with shared interests. In a world where connection often requires planning weeks in advance, Folkways creates spaces where community can happen more spontaneously.

2026 Events

Night Bazaar

June 25 – Renaissance
July 30 – Circus
August 20 – Galactic Rodeo
September 10 – Sunset on the Riverfront
October 15 – SpookRed

Red River Market

July 11 – Opening Day / 12th Season
July 19 – Sunday Market
July 25 – Grill-Out Day
August 1 – Jazz Fest
August 8 – Pride at the Market
August 15 – Kids Day
August 22 – Grower’s Day
August 29 – College Day
September 5 – Labor Day
September 12 – Arts Day
September 19 – Friendship Day
September 26 – Global Day
October 3 – Harvest Fest
October 10 – Hero Day
October 17 – Red River Market
October 24 – Mental Health Day
October 31 – Closing Day / Halloween

Christkindlmarkt

Weekend 1 – November 20-22
Weekend 2 – November 27-29

3. Strengthening Weak Ties That Hold Communities Together

Not every relationship in a community needs to become a close friendship to matter.

Sociologists refer to “weak ties” as the familiar faces we recognize around town, such as the vendor at the market, the barista who remembers your order, or the person you repeatedly see at community events. These interactions may seem small, but they are often how culture spreads, opportunities surface, and communities begin to feel connected.

Modern life has made relationships increasingly scheduled and transactional, which makes repeated casual interactions even more valuable. Folkways creates spaces where these weak ties can naturally form through consistency and shared experiences.

Over time, these familiar encounters help people feel more recognized, comfortable, and connected to the city around them.

4. Fostering Belonging Through Accessibility and Inclusion

Folkways creates belonging by making events free, accessible, and welcoming to everyone.

Their gatherings become spaces where children can play, grandparents can enjoy music from their youth, and friends can reconnect after a long week. In 2025, Folkways supported 134 live performances and continues to invest directly into artists, musicians, and cultural programming that make public spaces feel alive.

The Red River Market also travels throughout the winter and spring to neighborhoods in West Fargo, Moorhead, and at the West Acres Mall, helping make these experiences accessible beyond downtown Fargo.

Their SNAP Match program provides a match of up to $15 at every market, helping make fresh local food more accessible while supporting local growers. Events like Night Bazaar encourage people to embrace whimsy, dress up, dance, and reconnect with a sense of play that adults often lose in everyday life.

Placemaking creates spaces for people and helps them feel like they belong.

5. Supporting Economic Growth and Workforce Retention

Community is also an important part of economic development and workforce retention.

People increasingly choose cities not just based on jobs, but based on whether they enjoy living there. Vibrant public spaces help local businesses thrive, encourage walkability, and create experiences that make people emotionally invested in a city.

In 2025, Folkways events generated an estimated $2.2 million spent with merchants and a $1.7 million impact on downtown Fargo businesses.

Employers benefit when workers feel rooted in their community because people are more likely to stay long term in places where they feel connected. Real estate and placemaking are deeply connected because successful cities are places where people want to spend time, not just work.

The cities that retain talent are often the ones that give people reasons to stay, explore, and build a life beyond the workday.

6. Building Community Takes Consistency and Repeated Presence

The more we engage with our neighborhoods, support local businesses, attend recurring events, and recognize familiar faces, the more connected we become to where we live.

Community is not something we simply find. It is something we practice through small, repeated moments of showing up for the places and people around us.

This summer, Folkways invites you into that rhythm at the Red River Market, the largest farmers’ market in North Dakota, where you can wander through more than 60 local vendors, listen to live music, let kids play yard games, and stop for cooking demonstrations that turn seasonal ingredients into something you can take home.

The market opens July 11 and runs Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through October, with a special Sunday market on July 19 during the street fair.

As summer continues, the Night Bazaar returns on June 25 with a Renaissance theme, followed by other themes like Circus, Galactic Rodeo, and Spook.

Visit folkways.org to learn more.

Folkways

Facebook: /WeAreFolkways
Instagram: @WeAreFolkways
LinkedIn: /company/folkwaysco
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