Train Song Festival 2025

San Diego Folk Heritage welcomes back performers and audience members for our annual Train Song Festival! There will be engines running around the park courtesy of Poway-Midland Railroad (for a nominal fee that supports the railroad), model trains inside Templars Hall, and some of San Diego’s best musical talent on the Gazebo Stage from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Be sure to check out the Poway Farmers Market from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the Artisan Market from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Old Poway Park.

Free music, no ticket needed, on the pavilion, with shaded seating.

10 am: "Hop on Board" is a new musical written by Michael de Luca and developed by an ensemble cast about the Dust Bowl and the westward migration to California. The cast will be performing selected songs in this sneak preview performance!

11 am: Bill Dempsey continues the classic folksinger tradition, and sings more traditional songs, especially train ones, than you can shake a stick at. We are thrilled to have him back down from Orange County!

Noon: Gayle Skidmore is a seven-time San Diego Music Award nominee who has written over 2500 songs. Classically trained on the piano from the age of four, she plays over twenty other instruments, including the mountain dulcimer, banjo, folk harp, and balalaika.

1 pm: UL Standard is a local San Diego trio. They perform at various venues throughout the city. The band offers a unique blend of Americana and funky folk.

2 pm: SDFH’s own JT Moring is a dynamic entertainer known for incisive songs, stories, and audience engagement. He performs original and traditional songs on guitar and banjo, accompanied by Terry Wardell on bass, Richie Strell on harmonicas, and maybe a special guest or two for this special performance.

3 pm: Sara Petite is an outlaw country headliner whose music reaches far beyond the genre’s borders. She has built an award-winning career with songs that owe as much to the rock ‘n’ roll roadhouse as they do the honky-tonk.

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