Calgary Folk Music Festival, July 26-29

The Calgary Folk Music Festival happens every July at Prince's Island Park since 1980. This festival not only includes folk artists, but also a wide variety of other artists. This is a festival where there is something for everyone.

Photo Source: kDamo

Each day of the festival includes a main stage act in the evening, where the main headliners perform. This year Chris Issak, Beirut, and Iron & Wine are all playing the main stage, along with many other global artists. Throughout the day there are six smaller stages where multiple artists will perform alone, or together in workshops. The workshops are always interesting and often exciting to listen to since they provide something new and different each time, and are never repeated again.

In addition to the music there is always amazing food vendors and interesting shops set up along the side of the park. Not to mention the Big Rock beer gardens, which are always full rain or shine.

Photo Source: kDamo

The Calgary Folk Music Festival has also taken a green initiative. Everything brought to Prince's Island is either recyclable, reusable, or compostable. No bottled water is sold during the festival, food is served on reusable plates, all plastic is recycled, and all the cutlery is compostable. All of these things help reduce the carbon footprint of the yearly festival, something that no one can complain about!

This festival has a very strong community feel. Everyone who is into the Folk Fest takes part in a daily tarp run in an attempt to get as close to the stage as possible. My neighbourhood meets each year to set up a schedule to determine who will be sleeping over each night and waiting in line in order to ensure a spot at the front of the main stage. It sounds a little crazy, but it's worth it!

Photo Source: kDamo

This is one of the most eclectic and cultural events that Calgary has to offer, and I would recommend it to everyone. No matter what type of music you're into you'll have fun at this festival! You can get day passes or passes for the entire weekend in order to accommodate your prerogatives, and student passes are less expensive!

Does anyone else attend the Calgary Folk Music Festival? How have your experiences been?