Philadelphia Folk Festival returns but its future is unclear

Driving the news: The three-day festival at Old Pool Farm in Montgomery County kicks off today and remains largely unchanged from previous years, festival director Kimberly Sinclair tells Axios.

• Yes, but: Behind the scenes, the Philadelphia Folksong Society, which has run the festival since its inception in 1962, has cut and reprioritized the budget compared to past events.

Flashback: Last year, the society was teetering on bankruptcy, forcing it to pull the plug on the festival for the first time since 1962.

State of play: The society has since paid off its some $200,000 debt, Sinclair says.

• That means ticket sales from this weekend can go toward this year's festival costs and planning for 2025.

What they're saying: While Sinclair wouldn't commit to a 2025 festival, she was optimistic it would return again.

• "We will be grateful if we can break even and pay for the festival," she says. "This is our comeback year."