Winnipeg Folk Festival

Wonderful and long running folk festival at the birdshill provincial park

Great Festival, amazing performers and awesome experience all around.

This past weekend I was so very excited to attend my first ever Winnipeg Folkfest. It is surprising that this 30 year old, bike riding, nature loving, organic eating, recycling enthusiast has never been to the famed magical community in the middle of the prairies. My expectations were high and that may be partially why I was so utterly disappointed by my experience.Don’t get me wrong the music, the food and the tarp neighbours we met were great but I was hard pressed to find the friendly welcoming atmosphere I had been told about in most of the volunteers I encountered. There were quarter-hearted slightly hungover welcoming crews, information desk people who told me that the festival opens at 9am when clearly the grounds opened at 10, and over zealous gate person who would not let me into the Festival campground to drop off my young nephew after the Sunday night show.I was told that it might get pretty rowdy so to make sure I got a space in the quieter section. My fiancee, who’s closest experience with folk music is a picture of a ukulele in the living room assumed that this meant buying a Quiet Campground pass, which he did way back in February. Our lives got very busy and it wasn’t until the day we arrived at Folkfest that we realized there was a huge difference between them. Quiet camping is over 4km away from the festival grounds and has a 11pm noise restriction and Festival Camping is adjecent to the Festival grounds and animated with art installations, additional food vendors, jam sessions etc. When I tried to talk to the customer services person, she looked at me with a confused face and judgementally asked how I could possibley make that mistake.In my experience I would say the Folkfest isn’t just one of Manitoba’s biggest outdoor festivals but also its biggest insider club. You’ve got to know someone who knows someone or have been going since being in diapers. If you’re new and a little unsure, it’s a crapshoot.

You were great on the Bus ! everyone singing along..the way a folk fest bus should be :)

Definitely the place to be for 4 days of great music, good food and lots of happy people. Weather you are a festival goer or a volunteer you are in for a memorable experience.

So much fun. Wish I could attend every year.

Folk fest is the best thing in Manitoba hands down. I always find at least on new band or performer that I've never heard but blows my mind. Great festival, excellent campground and the vast majority of the people at the fest are super awesome!

One of the best festivals hands down. Unlike most, which are basically a bunch of concerts in one place, WFF puts a few artists together in jam session style leading to collaboration of one of a kind songs that have both never been heard before and will never happen again.

Such a fun summer experience with such a good lineup every year