Winnipeg Folk Fest

Winnipeg is Fest City in summer, and Winnipeg Folk Fest is the Big One, the one we all can’t wait for.

Thousands come to Bird’s Hill Provincial Park, just northeast of Winnipeg, for 5 days of top-name and emerging artists playing roots, folk, ska, blues, world, indie, reggae, alt-country and gospel at Winnipeg Folk Festival.

The Fest includes Folk School workshops, a program for young performers, children’s events and an art exhibit plus afternoon and evening concerts on 7 stages.

There’s also an Artisan Village, featuring hand-crafted clothing, jewellery and décor and a Food Village where (almost) everything is organic, local and/or Fair Trade.

The 2010 edition (the 37th) is Wednesday to Sunday, July 7 to 11. The 2010 line-up of 80+ solo performers/groups has been announced (In 2009, they included Elvis Costello, Loreena McKennit, Neko Case and Arlo Guthrie).

Even without the big-name performers, there’s plenty of reasons to plan your summer vacation (at least part of it) around this hot Fest as about 73,000 people did last year. This year, attendance is capped at 14,000 per day.

Confirmed so far are Emmylou Harris, Sarah Harmer, Leon Helm Band, gospel-singers The Sojourners, Wailin’ Jennys and bluesman Geoff Muldaur.

Among home-grown talents are The Duhks and singer-songwriters Greg Macpherson and Del Barber.

In addition to all of them, I’m really looking forward to seeing the cheeky Good Lovelies, Sarah Lee Guthrie (daughter of Arlo) and Steve Dawson’s Mississippi Sheiks Tribute.

This festival always has a happy, folkie vibe, all day long and deep into the night. There are concerts for children, and quiet camping for families with kids, but some of the best music is ‘after hours’ over at the other campground, where performers take advantage of the opportunity to jam and you hear inspired singing and playing. There is a free shuttle between campgrounds and the concert areas.

You might think, given the ‘captive’ audience, that the Food Village at Winnipeg Folk Festival would be same-old-food-from-a-cart, but it’s actually better quality and with more variety than what you usually can get at outdoor events, with a lot of healthy options. And, bonus, the pricing is fair. There’s a choice of ethnic and vegan choices and good variety in what’s on offer. (Yes, fast food junkies, there's also ice cream, poutine, smokies and other snacks).