The 18th annual Rhythm & Roots Festival announces its spectacular all-star lineup for 2015. Held at beautiful Ninigret Park in the oceanside community of Charlestown every Labor Day weekend, the festival has become a destination event drawing approximately 10,000 roots music and dance fans from all over the country over the course of the weekend. This year the festival is held Sept 4-6. Ninigret Park is located at 4890A Old Post Rd, (just off Route 1), Charlestown.

Growing more and more each year in popularity, thousands look forward to Rhythm & Roots as their annual Labor Day weekend party where music fans gather in Rhode Island to listen to a wide spectrum of roots music, dance the day and night away, and feast on gourmet food and drink while enjoying a wide variety of musical styles such as Blues, New Orleans R&B, Zydeco, Cajun, swing, Americana, folk and more. Among the four stages is a Family Stage and two dance floors. It’s a family-friendly event and great for dancers.

The festival kicks off with a bang and a hot Friday night lineup which includes a special 20th Anniversary Signature Sounds celebration, headlined by the attention grabbing Lake Street Dive, with their Billboard Top 20 single “Bad Self Portraits,” and their video of “I Want You Back,” casually shot on a Boston street corner now hurtling past 3 million views. Joining them is labelmate and Americana star Eilen Jewell whose song “Hallelujah Band” was recently found on NPR’s “Heavy Rotation: 10 songs Public Radio Can’t Stop Playing” list for June 30, and Dustbowl Revival whose peppy tune “Never Had to Go” is up to 2.2 million views on YouTube with a little help from the dance steps of fan, Dick Van Dyke. And it keeps getting hotter with festival favorite Sarah Potenza who has vocal chops sounding like a cross between Janis Joplin and Susan Tedeschi. She knocked ‘em dead when she first played the festival a few years ago and now comes back having been a Top 20 “The Voice” contender and with a new fan funded album in progress. Sarah will play all 3 days of the festival and will headline the Heritage Stage on Friday. Then there’s some rockin’ zydeco dancing to be done with Corey Ledet & His Zydeco Band, Ruben Moreno & Zydeco Re-evolution and the Dog Hill Stompers featuring the grandsons of Boozoo Chavis.

Saturday, it’s a Main Stage blowout with The Mavericks, Los Lobos and boogie woogie piano queen, Marcia Ball plus perennial favorites Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys who arrive with their brand new CD, “Voyageurs,” and a Cajun/Zydeco/swamp pop mix that dares to go in new directions and keeps the dance floors filled wherever they play. The Cash Box Kings, bring a dose of old-school Chicago blues in the spirit of the ’40s and ’50s and Delta Blues in the spirit of the ’20s and ’30s. Multiple award winner and powerhouse performer with a giant soul-filled voice, Matt Anderson, whose 40-city Canadian tour last year grossed over a million dollars, wowed Rhythm & Roots audiences and is back for a return performance. He will host a Blues Showcase and a Canadian Showcase as well as perform on the Main Stage. Filling up the dance floors with Steve Riley will be Roddie Romero & the Hub City All Stars among others.

On Sunday, three time Grammy winner Keb ‘Mo will rock the stage with tunes from his new album “BLUESAmericana” as well as Royal Southern Brotherhood featuring the smooth vocals of Cyril Neville and guitar slinging from Tyrone Vaughan, son of Jimmie and nephew of Stevie Ray. They just released their third album in May. Australian duo, Hat Fitz & Cara might be a surprise discovery for many. Fitz, a veteran of the Australian blues scene has 18 straight appearances at the Byron’s East Coast Blues & Roots Festival under his belt and Cara has toured the U.S. and Europe with Jamiroquai and Corinne Bailey-Rae.

Among the festival’s four stages, a popular feature at Rhythm & Roots is the dancing, with two 4,400-square-foot tented wooden dance floors - one near the Main Stage and one in the Dance Pavilion, featuring afternoon dance instruction followed by dancing until midnight with Main Stage bands as well as popular regional bands. Dance instruction in Cajun, Zydeco and Two Step is provided during the afternoon.

The Family Stage provides storytelling for the kids, mardi gras mask making for the mardi gras parade on Saturday and Sunday, and creative art workshops, sing-a-longs, and evening movies for both kids and teens – plus the ever expanding Kids Cajun Academy instrument learning program with free advance signup on the website. The Heritage Stage features special showcases and workshops with an up close and personal experience of the artists. Special evening music showcases this year will include Canadian and Blues Showcases hosted by Matt Anderson, an Americana Showcase hosted by Jim Lauderdale, and a Louisiana Showcase hosted by Steve Riley.

In addition to being renowned for its impressive lineup of artists, Rhythm & Roots is also known for its wide array of food and drink with festive atmosphere provided by the Hot Tamale Brass Band. Vendors offer a variety of delicacies ranging from Cajun & Creole cuisine to southern style barbecue, Greek and Middle Eastern foods and fresh native seafood, and a variety of beverages plus gourmet coffee and desserts.

Merchant vendors have hard to find recordings, authentic handcrafted instruments, vintage posters and other festive items on hand.

Selected among the Top 100 Events in North America by the American Bus Association, Rhythm & Roots has been called  “an incredible experience, a perfectly organized, flawlessly run major destination event that music fans from all over the country will be drawn to” and the patrons who return each year bringing newly made festival devotees would agree.

For tickets and information visit www.rhythmandroots.com or call 1-888-855-6940 Friday, 5 p.m. to midnight and noon to midnight on Saturday and Sunday. Gates open one hour prior to start time each day. The festival has camping available and the park contains a swimming area, nature trails, and a recreational area for kids. Tickets are $40 to $225.