FWAAMFest was created to highlight an often forgotten and neglected piece of history: the central role of blackness in American roots music. The festival aims to broaden the local arts scene and place Fort Worth on the map as a place to go for traditional music lovers, and a site where community members can engage in Black reclamation of this history. It is the only major city festival of its kind that is both Black-led and centered around Black artists. FWAAMFest is part of the programming of Decolonizing the Music Room, a Fort Worth nonprofit centering Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Asian voices and narratives in music education and related fields.

FWAAMFest premiered online in 2021, and in person in 2022. We are excited to have you join us in 2023 for another year performances from award-winning artists from around the country representing the African American past, present, and future of old time, jug band, early blues, jazz, and beyond.