HARTFORD, Conn. (WTIC Radio)—Farm Aid is returning to the city of Hartford this Saturday for its 2021 benefit concert to raise funds and awareness for America's family farmers.
The music festival will feature over a dozen artists, including founders Willie Nelson and John Mellencamp, at the Xfinity Theatre.
It's a chance for the Hartford community to get together and enjoy live performances while supporting local farming, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin said.
"This is a part of climate action. It's a part of our common commitment to sustainability," he said.
Festival-goers can also visit the homegrown village that will be on site.
In the village, people will have an opportunity to learn about farming practices and to connect with local food and farming organizations.
Among those organizations will be the Hartford-based nonprofit KNOX, with information about urban farming, community gardens and more.
Guests can also expect home grown concession stands with a menu full of food featuring fresh local produce, meats and grass-fed produce like burgers, all of which comes from family farmers, according to Farm Aid Associate Director Glenda Yoder.
Hartford hosted Farm Aid once before in 2018, and it was the city's sense of unity that inspired the benefit concert to return, Yoder said.
"Your community really collaborated well between farmers and your food systems. You fed people through COVID and beyond, and that's really gratifying to see," Yoder said.
Farm Aid first started in 1985 with programs focusing primarily on the well-being and the livelihood of family farmers.
The funds from this year's concert will continue to go toward providing support services and resources for family farmers across the country, Yoder said.
The concert begins at 1 p.m. Saturday and, according to Live Nation President Jim Koplik, it's expected to run until 11 p.m.
For more information about the concert, visit farmaid.org.