I’ve been a bit quiet here this weekend because it is the annual Lowell Folk Festival held in Lowell, Massachusetts. It is a free three-day festival held each July. The downtown area is closed to vehicular traffic to allow acts to perform on five different stages located around the area. It features performers from various regions of the US and around the world. The festival kicks off with a parade of nations. People from various countries carry in their nation’s flag. Here are a few images. If you shout out the name of the country as it passes, then the group from that country gets very animated making for a better image and a more lively experience. The older gentleman carrying the flag of Portugal walked right up to me and asked me to take a photo of him with his flag.