Can’t Stand the Rain – Folk Fest 40 a wrap!
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is one of those pivotal summer events that signal a forthcoming change in season. First comes the Folk Fest, shortly followed by the Fringe, and then the coming of First Winter. While the temperatures were definitely below average for August, the music in Gallagher Park certainly kept things hot. The […]
FOLK FEST REVIEW: Hozier gets hosed, hardy fans party to Church in the rain
At the first night of the 2019 Edmonton Folk Music Festival on Thursday, almost everyone had one thing on their mind: the weather. Organizers especially had their eyes on the weekend’s forecast – and they weren’t happy. Fortunately, the heavens held their gates closed (mostly) on Night One for an incredible variety of surprises from […]
7 Must-See Folk Fest Sessions
Hidden in the Edmonton Folk Music Festival’s massive weekend schedule are some real gems – mini-concerts you’d never see anywhere else, on six side stages strewn across the Gallagher Park site. The best might be overlooked if you’re not in the right place at the right time. They used to call them “Workshops,” but that […]
Green light for cannabis at the folk fest
Within today’s announcement for Hozier, Ani DiFranco, Brandi Carlile, Bruce Cockburn and other acts we already knew were coming to the 40th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival was a big green light for marijuana. Oh, yeah, cannabis is legal now. Almost forgot. Producer Terry Wickham addressed the issue at the annual media launch, where there […]
I SURVIVED THE FOLK FEST (almost)
Whoever came up with the saying “If you don’t like the weather in Alberta, just wait 10 minutes!” must have been at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. Diehard festival fans all have stories about the erratic weather over the years, some which resemble battlefields. They make sure they have all the necessary gear and protective […]
REVIEW: Heat on the hill at folk fest
Thursday evening at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival was likely one of the hottest folk fests on record. There was a heat warning as temperatures hit 34 degrees, and an air quality advisory due to drifting smoke from B.C. wildfires. There may have been discussions about climate change among the sweaty (but happy) crowd – […]
Folk fest blown out by mighty wind
Before it was evacuated on Thursday night, people were having a blast at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival. They were just getting warmed up with the furious fiddling hurdy-gurdy goodness of the Quebec supergroup called Solo; and a smokin’ set of Haitian samba from Lakou Mizik – and then Mother Nature stepped in. A sudden […]
MUSIC PREVIEW: Best of the folk fest
The dominant event across most genres this weekend of course is the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, a veritable staple of the city’s music scene since 1980. In fact, there’s usually a dearth in gigs over the weekend because most venues don’t want to schedule anything against this juggernaut, certainly the largest music festival in the […]
How did our festivals do?
Imagine you’re on the fence about going to Sonic Boom, Edmonton’s last proper outdoor festival happening Sept. 3-4 in Borden Park. Maybe you’re festival-ed out. Maybe you’re sick of summer. Maybe you’re tired of life. Then you find out Twenty One Pilots is playing – and that’s the deal maker. Sure, OK, let’s have one […]
Folk Fest vs. LRT: A hill to die on
There’s a mild controversy literally surrounding the Edmonton Folk Music Festival this year. Like a lot of Edmonton gripes, it’s over a bridge. Folkies may have noticed they can’t walk over on the Cloverdale footbridge anymore. The City has already started breaking it down to make way for the new LRT Valley Line, to be […]
Session acts upstage main stage at folk fest
Day Two of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival kicked off just in time for the after-work crowd to hustle down to Gallagher Hill and take in a slew of “Session” performances before the main stage acts got underway. The shorter schedule during the first two days of folk fest always feel like a primer for […]
Guitar Night at the Folk Fest
The first four acts of the 37th annual Edmonton Folk Music Festival have set the tone – for rocking out. Opening night contained at least twice the recommended daily dosage of electric guitar, and the folk fans didn’t mind a bit. After all, the folks know this weekend will be filled with fiddles, bouzoukis, dobros […]
