WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Canada – Crowds flocked to Birds Hill Provincial Park this past weekend for the 43
rd annual Winnipeg Folk Fest held July 7-10. The beautiful weather and diverse artistic lineup made it a memorable weekend for all attendees.
The festival opened with an all-Canadian lineup on Thursday night with hometown roots act
The Crooked Brothers, a delightful set by the French Canadian chanteuse
Coeur de Pirate and a fine rock-‘n’-roll time with
Sam Roberts. Throughout the weekend, festivalgoers gathered at Main Stage to see live performances by artists of all genres including high energy sets by
Milky Chance,
Ryan Adams and the Shining and Artistic Achievement Award recipient
Loudon Wainwright III.
Big Blue @ Night was transformed on Friday night for The Bluegrass Situation North, presented for the first time in Canada and culminating in a bluegrass version of The Eagles’ iconic record
Hotel California, played in its entirety. On Saturday night, things turned into a phenomenal outdoor dance party with international acts
Boogat,
Yemen Blues,
The Funk Hunters and
Vaudou Game.
Renowned for the once-in-a-lifetime collaborations, Winnipeg Folk Fest delivered once again many magical moments in its workshops throughout the weekend, including
Native North America presented by APTN where Indigenous artists such as
Willie Thrasher, Duke Redbird and Willy Mitchell shared powerful stories, poetry and music. Saturday’s packed
Young Americans workshop featured indie-folk acts
The Head and the Heart,
San Fermin and
Wild Child and the
Under the Covers workshop on Sunday was the chance for many artists to pay homage to musical greats Prince, Merle Haggard, David Bowie and Guy Clark.
On Saturday, the Winnipeg Folk Festival presented its Glass Banjo Awards to invaluable partner
MTS and the late
Bob Frayer, a longtime volunteer of the festival also known as “Origami Bob”. The awards recognize festival supporters and volunteers who have made a significant contribution to the organization over the years.
The closing night of the festival on Sunday was marked by the crowd-pleasing performances of indie-pop New Yorkers
Lucius and indie-folk favourites
Lord Huron as the sun was setting in beautiful Birds Hill Provincial Park ending another unforgettable edition of Folk Fest.
The 43
rd annual Winnipeg Folk Fest took place over four days at Birds Hill Provincial Park. While overall attendance was slightly down, Friday paid attendance was up by 16% and Saturday paid attendance was up by 21% over last year’s edition.
The 44
th annual Winnipeg Folk Fest will be held July 6-9, 2017.
About Winnipeg Folk Festival
winnipegfolkfestival.ca
With one of North America’s premier outdoor music festivals as its signature event, the Winnipeg Folk Festival is a year-round, not-for-profit arts organization that presents live music, arts events and community programs. The 43rd annual Winnipeg Folk Fest ran from July 7-10, 2016 in Birds Hill Provincial Park, Manitoba, Canada on Treaty 1 territory and the homeland of the Métis nation.
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For more information please contact:
Irina Ivanov Bissonnette
Manager, Marketing & Communications
204-924-4056
iivanov@winnipegfolkfestival.ca
