The Woods Hole Trad Stroll, a much loved annual community event, returns Saturday, May 3, 2025 from noon to 6 PM, followed by a Contra Dance from 7:30 to 10 PM with the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra.
The Woods Hole Trad Stroll is actually two concurrent series of concerts, one in Woods Hole Community Hall, and the other at six different venues throughout the historic village of Woods Hole.
And there’s more! Sea Education Association (SEA) will host an open ship of the SSV Corwith Cramer during the Woods Hole Trad Stroll from 12-3 PM at Dyer’s Dock (behind Coffee Obsession/next to Landfall). This event offers the public an opportunity to tour the research vessel, learn about SEA’s high school and undergraduate programs, and talk to crew about life at sea. The open ship is family-friendly and free!
SSV Corwith Cramer
WHTS performers include Stroll regulars Stanley & Grimm and the Sonnay Fiddlers, the Familiars of Cape Cod, Cat’s Melodeon, The Harper and the Minstrel, The Falmouth Fiddlers, and Amy & Jonathan Larkin. We are especially pleased to welcome new bands to the event: Bourbon Sunset, Tom Leidenfrost, RumbleWagon, Just Picked, and the All Worn Out Jug Band. Plus, there will dancing along Water Street with the Nobska Lights and Harbour Lights dance teams.
From ancient melodies to traditional fiddle and folk tunes and contemporary country and original music, there is something for everyone throughout the day, as well as numerous places to grab a bite to eat and enjoy the charm of Woods Hole.
For videos of Woods Hole Trad Stroll 2024 performances, click here.
All performances and the Contra Dance are free and open to the public, thanks to grants from the Falmouth Cultural Council, the Mass Cultural Council, the Woods Hole Foundation, the Falmouth Fund of the Cape Cod Foundation, the Arts Foundation of Cape Cod, and the South Shore Playhouse Associates, as well as donations from individuals and businesses. We greatly appreciate this community support.
Woods Hole Community Hall
Noon to 1 PM: Stanley & Grimm with the Sonnay Fiddlers
Stanley & Grimm, Sean Brennan on guitar and vocals and Nikki Engstrom on fiddle, will perform with members of the Sonnay Fiddlers, a group of Nikki’s young and older fiddle students. Stanley & Grimm plays traditional Irish music through old and new interpretations of jigs, reels, and songs played with lively fiddle, guitar, and voice. The Sonnay Fiddlers perform a wide array of Celtic tunes.
1:15 to 2:15 PM: The Familiars of Cape Cod
The Familiars of Cape Cod perform a blend of folk, fiddle, country, and Americana music of the 1950s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80s, and more. Manny and Linda Dias, Rusty Strange, and Bob Nelson will perform.
2:30 to 3:30 PM: Bourbon Sunset
Known for their tight harmonies, Bourbon Sunset is the Outer Cape trio of Chris Miner on mandolin, Lynda Shuster on banjo, and Peter Waful on guitar. Culling songs from the familiar bluegrass and folk repertoires, they find those deeper cut gems, and then craft three-part harmonies around them. They couldn’t imagine anything else being so much fun, except sharing the fun with the audience.
3:45 to 4:45 PM: Tom Leidenfrost
Tom Leidenfrost plays accordion on the Cape and around the country. He plays traditonal and folk music, sea shanties, and Irish music, as well as a high-energy repertoire of older music from prior to the 1960.
5 to 6 PM: RumbleWagon
RumbleWagon performs traditional and alternative country music. Lead vocalist Leslie Gage grew up singing in her father’s country band and brings a powerful, expressive, and soulful voice to the band. Steve McElheny and Greg Polanik are consummate guitar players, who season their playing with a touch of blues, jazz, and rock. RumbleWagon is based in Sandwich and performs regularly on the Upper Cape and in Plymouth County.
6 to 7:30 PM: Dinner Break
Enjoy dinner at one of Woods Hole’s great restaurants, while reflecting on a delightful day of vibrant music, and preparing for a rousing evening of dance, including instructions.
7:30 to 10 PM: Contra Dance with the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra
The Woods Hole Contra Dance, with caller Marcie Van Cleave, is accompanied by foot-tapping music from the Woods Hole Folk Orchestra.
Water Street
Two dance teams, the Nobska Lights from Falmouth, and the Harbor Steels from the Boston area, will perform between 2 and 4 PM near Community Hall.
The Nobska Lights
The Nobska Lights is a youth folk dance team based in Woods Hole and specializing in traditional English sword dances. They perform vibrant, fast-paced dances to lively jig music using flexible steel “rapper swords” that are woven together to create interesting patterns.
Harbour Steel
Harbour Steel is a rapper sword dancing team from the Boston area whose name is inspired by the harbor seals that frequent the coastline.
Woods Hole Venues
Noon to 2 PM: Cat’s Melodeon
Coffee Obsession, 38 Water Street, Woods Hole
Cat’s Melodeon is an Irish multi-instrumental group led by Bill Black, shown here on banjo, who was the one who suggested, back in 2014, that ArtsFalmouth host a traditional music event. He has performed at every Trad Stroll since then. Cat’s Melodeon specializes in authentic Irish traditional music: the “pure drop” as it is known in Ireland, and includes guitars, pipes, banjo, flute, and fiddles.
1 to 2 PM: The Harper and the Minstrel
Martha’s Vineyard Bank, 2 Water Street, Woods Hole
Abby and Jay Michaels
The Harper and the Minstrel are Abby and Jay Michaels, a dynamic musical duo that specializes in playing Irish music with authentic flair and enchanting instrumentation. Their mastery of the Celtic harp and other traditional instruments, such as the hammered dulcimer, Irish flute, penny whistle, and mountain dulcimer, makes them beloved performers at festivals and other venues across the US and in Ireland.
2 to 3 PM: Just Picked
Pie in the Sky, 10 Water Street, Woods Hole
Just Picked features Stephanie Murphy on guitar/vocals, Doug Sheprow on guitar/harmony, and Amy Larkin on fiddle/harmony. The group will perform bluegrass, folk, country, and Americana favorites.
3 to 4 PM: All Worn Out Jug Band
Woods Hole Historical Museum, 579 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole
The All Worn Out Jug Band, part of the “Post-Modern” Jug Band Movement, performs eclectic sets including jug band classics and American roots music from traditional folk to Cajun, country, and gospel. They play an array of instruments, including washtub or doghouse bass, washboard, kazoos, whistles, and, of course, a jug, as well as a full complement of strings: guitar, mandolin, ukulele, fiddle, banjo, dobro, and an occasional concertina.
The current lineup includes Gregory Baird, Kevin Howard, Mary Loebig, and Edmund Robinson — they bring a decidedly animated stage presence to performances that will have audiences dancing in the aisles by the encore.
4 to 5 PM: Amy & Jonathan Larkin
Wood Hole Library, 581 Woods Hole Road, Woods Hole
Amy & Jonathan Larkin will perform Cajun, Québécois, and Americana music and more.
5 to 6 PM: The Falmouth Fiddlers
Old Fire Station, 72 Water Street
The Falmouth Fiddlers describe themselves as friendly people who have been playing fiddle tunes and other acoustic music around Falmouth since 1998. They play fiddles, banjos, bass, bodhran, guitars, mandolins, whistles, and cello. Many of those in the group met through its founder, the late fiddler and luthier Jim Boyce (1943-1015) at a Falmouth Fiddlers performance, his Falmouth Night School fiddle classes, by word of mouth or chance, or were inspired by his former FCTV show, “Fiddlin’ in Falmouth.”