BANGOR -The American Folk Festival, a free, three-day event showcasing music and dance from the diverse cultures that make up America, will be held this weekend on the waterfront.

Featured will be five stages of continuous music and dance, with performances by Nukariik, Inuit throat singers from Quebec; electric bluesman Bernard Allison of Minnesota; the Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band from Louisiana; the Dixie Hummingbirds, a gospel quartet from Pennsylvania; Nadeem Dlaikan & Friends, traditional Arabic music; Men in Black, a barbershop quartet from New York; Raz de Maree, with caller Chrissy Fowler, Quebecois contra dance music; and many other artists.

In addition, there will be craft demonstrations and exhibits, a children’s area with performances and activities for the whole family, food vendors and a folk arts marketplace offering handcrafted items for sale.

A group of University of Maine faculty members and students, in collaboration with the Lewiston-Auburn community, will present a Somali Narrative Project Readers’ Theater performance about Somali life, history and culture. Presentations, including stories about Somali life from before and during the civil war, will be from 4 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 25, and from 2 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 26.

For more about the festival, a schedule of events and performers or a festival map, log on to www.americanfolkfestival.com.