9th Annual Freed Festival

The Weekend of August 7-9, 2026

Come celebrate Salem, Ohio’s own Alan Freed with live music events all over, all day, for FREE in historic downtown. From popularizing the R&B records that became the foundation of rock to planning the first rock and roll concert, Alan Freed was the tireless promoter of the genre. Freed is widely credited with coining the term “rock and roll” to describe the uptempo black R&B records he played as early as 1951 on Cleveland radio station WJW. In addition, in 1952, Freed was one of the people who put together the Moondog Coronation Ball, a Cleveland concert that is now considered the first-ever rock and roll concert.Learn more about our towns part in American rock n’ roll history and more details about the event – including schedule. at https://freedfest.com.