Crossing Border Festival in the Netherlands brings together the spoken word with great music, film, and visual arts.

Program your own combination of inspiring literary works with stand-out bands such as the piano-pounding pandemonium of Ben Folds.

Be sure to catch the soulful rock of Ohio-based duo The Black Keys, and The Ideal Husband (fronted by a female singer, of course!), who sing pop lullabies accompanied by lap steel guitars and ukeleles. Want a taste? Check out the video mashup from last year!

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Jazz is alive and well in La Pampa, Argentina where the National Traditional Jazz Festival treats audiences to an array of great musicians.

Grupo de Jazz Santa Rosa are the festival organizers, and will also perform. Guitarist Ricardo Pellican leads his trio in some of the best improvisations you’ll hear. Marcelo Ponce and Viviana Dallas bring together blues, American spirituals, and gospel. Go ahead, slice into the meat of jazz!

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Ireland’s Ennis Trad Festival in County Clare plays host to the plentiful homegrown musical talent.

Master fiddle player Gerry O’Connor will get you clapping at The Queen’s Hotel. The David Munnelly Band, led by its namesake button accordion player, will get you out of your seat. For your dose of ceilí don’t miss the Turloughmore Ceilí Band at the launch of their new album The Green Road.

Check out the set-dancing workshops (no experience necessary) and an introduction to learning to speak like a native.

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UNIDRAM Festival in Potsdam, Germany is the midwife of many artistic collaborations for new theatrical forms.

Akhe, one of Russia’s best independent theatre groups, performs two pieces: Plug i Play and Gobo. Digital Glossary. Performance artist Georg Traber creates ‘temporary architecture’ in his piece Heinz Baut — A Heavenly Drilling for Knowledge. Dancer and choreographer Benas Sarka performs a solo about ritual, anarchy and chaos — what else is there these days?!

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The International Plucked Instruments Festival in Rabat, Morocco celebrates the power of music to unite cultures.

You’ll see master jazz pianist Lionel Haas, who has delighted audiences in Germany and beyond. Romanian boy-wonder Mircea Gogoncea will play several selections that demonstrate why he is one of the most talented Romanian guitarists of his generation. Oscar Herrero closes the festival with traditional flamenco.

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Around the globe, this difficult economic period does not mean that festival plans have to be shelved. Many festivals offer free entrance to some of their events, and some festivals offer free entrance to ALL shows.

Here is a selection of FREE festivals that will soothe the soul and the pocketbook. Once again the arts play a part in raising people’s spirits: Fleurieu Folk Festival, Australia; Pardon Johnny Cash Flower Pickin Festival, USA; Greater Hartford Jazz Festival, USA; ParkPop, Netherlands; Verdur Rock, Belgium; World Village Festival, Finland; Les Franco Folies de Montreal, Canada.

Check out the free music from our podcast artist of the week, Maya Azucena!

What are your free festival favorites? Add Yours Now!

Viva La Gong Festival in Wollongong, Australia celebrates community by showcasing and nurturing the arts.

Australian choreographer Meryl Tankard has created VX18504 (the army service number of her father), performed by The Australian Theatre for Young People. More youthful talent can be found at the Bluescope Steel Youth Orchestra’s performance of the Wild Swans concert suite, which is based on a Hans Christian Andersen story. Complementing the performances, Viva Feast is your ticket to great food at places like the Hogs Breath Cafe.

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Melbourne Fringe Festival turns this Australian city into a hive of experimental performance work.

If you like Patti Smith, you’ll want to see A Rock’n’Roll Love Story by Blinkers, who use Smith’s Horses album as inspiration.

More musical tributes can be seen in Hellfire, based on the music and convoluted life of Jerry Lee Lewis, while the hip hop collective SS Pecker interprets INXS’s album Kick.

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Women take center stage at the National Women in Blues Festival in Wilmington, North Carolina.

Headliners include Gaye Adegbalola,who will take you through the history of blues women ending in a rousing set with Roddy Barnes. Michele and the Midnight Blues preside over the Invitation Jam session, and diva Candye Kane will wow you with her bold blues voice. Finally don’t miss Sarah Lemieux’s unique brand of storytelling blues and jazz. Sing-a-long with “Big Ovaries, Baby!”

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Every three years the city of Los Angeles plays host to the World Festival of Sacred Music.

The community-oriented model of the festival is designed to stand in contrast to the prevailing entertainment industry of the city of angels. The Japanese American National Museum plays host to Greek-born vocalist Savina Yannatou in a concert of traditional and improvisational sacred music. The New York-based Shakers n’ Bakers reinterpret the ecstatic Shaker “vision” songs.

Don’t miss the festival’s closing ceremony at the Santa Monica Beach, where three hundred artists will converge to honor the sea through sacred ceremonies from myriad world cultures.

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