The 37th Winnipeg Folk Festival – Where were you??

July 13th, 2010 | Posted by Jacquie Crone
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The Winnipeg Folk Festival takes place every summer around the second weekend in July at Birds Hill Provincial Park, 25 kms north of Winnipeg on Highway 59. The weekend is sacred in my household, and yes, I was there this year with the usual gang of suspects.

I did a quick headcount and just about everyone who was anyone was there. The parking area was a sea of cars, the sun glinting off their windshields. Transit Tom was shuttling busloads of Festival ‘goers’ from Winnipeg every hour, and this year there was even a chance to ride your bicycle from Winnipeg to the Folk Festival – with an escort no less.

And yet, there was still a bit of trampled grass here and there that wasn’t occupied. So where were you?

You have concerns, I know. Let’s see if I can guess what they are.

1. Do you think folk music is a bit too “middle the road” for your taste?

Folk music is a term used rather loosely at the Festival. This year over 300 artists, from all over the world, were invited to Winnipeg to perform in 80 acts – so you can expect diversity with those kinds of numbers.

There are 9 outdoor stages running concurrently during the day at the festival site. As you make your way from one stage to another, don’t be surprised if you hear snippets of deep blues, hip-hop, achin’ breakin’ country folk, jazz, indie rock and maybe the squeal of bagpipes, the twang of a banjo and the harmonic complexities of electronica.

2. Maybe you stayed home because the thought of a daily merging with 14,000 scantily clad people seemed overwhelming.

The Winnipeg Folk Festival has been in operation for 37 years now and the well-trained and attentive volunteers are in evidence from the moment you hit the site until the last drive home on Sunday night. Their job is to ensure that the Festival runs like a finely tuned engine – and your happiness, comfort and safety are always at the top of their lists.

On the other hand, many of the 14,000 attendees are awfully good looking, so there’s always that.

3. Is it an age thing?

The demographic of the folkie  is hard to nail down, so let’s just say it runs the full gamut – from babies to octogenarians.

4. Nothing to wear?

I think fans are united in their desire to express themselves: tattoos abound, the goat people (i.e. the great unwashed) are content with a table cloth wrapped around their loins, the Peter Tosh wannabes struggle under the sheer weight of their dreadlocks, throwbacks to the 70’s strut about proudly in too-short cut-offs and bra-less tank tops. Then there’s the understated and ever stylish tie-dye muscle shirt, which has always been a hit in my books. As you can see, anything goes.

5. Maybe you’re worried about the weather because, after all, this is an outdoor event.

Haven’t you been reading my blogs? This is not an acceptable reason! Gear up or down, depending on what the skies look like. Hats, sunscreen, rain gear, bug spray, refillable water jugs – load up the car or your backpack with everything you need. If the weather becomes unacceptable – go to the beer tent. Duh.

6. Does the price of a ticket give you pause?

Okay, that’s a reasonable concern, but still totally reconcilable if you plan ahead: next year and take advantage of the Early Bird specials (pre May 31).

The 5-day pass is the best deal and this year it cost an adult $180.00, which works out to about $35.00/day. Seniors and youths (15 – 17 years) paid $100.00 for the 5-days, and children (5-14 years) were charged a mere $10.00. Babies and toddlers get in for free. Think about the costs incurred while taking your family to a movie. (And that’s only 2 hours of canned entertainment.)

If a 5 day commitment seem a bit intimidating to start with, then consider a day pass.

7. Speaking of kiddies, how would you hold their attention all day and night?

It’s never too soon to start training a “little folkie”. The Winnipeg Folk Festival has a dedicated Family Area with activities geared towards children. Transform your child into a tiger or an angel; let them muck about in the low-pressure sprinkler system or let them go nuts with paint and paper or modeling clay in the shade of the Chickadee Big Top tent. The Winnipeg Children’s Festival was on hand this year and the Zero Gravity Circus were there as well – clowning around.

8. Oh, I know, maybe you’re reluctant to go (pun intended) to the Festival because of the outdoor biffy-thing.

This too is a worthy concern, but I can tell you this: there are frequently-cleaned port-o-lets everywhere and the toilet paper is abundant. Furthermore, the creep-factor can be washed away at the many hand-washing stations – again, re-filled on a regular basis. PLUS, I’ve had many fine interactions with fellow folksters whilst holding my bladder in check in the line-up.

9. Shopping. I understand – I also experience withdrawal symptoms if I try to go too long without consuming, as we are, after all, products of our environment.

Thankfully, there is the Hand-Made Village – which features artful crafts, fashions, jewellery and all sorts of cool, high quality items made by 50 Canadian artists.

10. And finally, because surely you can’t have more than 10 concerns, you might be worried about satisfying your belly’s urges with nutritious food.

I think deep-fried Whales Tails are 100% nutritious, but maybe you think otherwise.

I noted that many people brought their own food and enjoyed on-the-spot picnics. My FF tribe has always taken a certain amount of pride in our ‘tail-gate’ parties, which are staged between the daytime workshops and the evening concert. Fresh fruit, bread, cheese, paté and plenty of appropriate tunes on the car stereo always make these events an important yearly ritual.

If you choose to travel light, however, take advantage of the Food Village. This year there were 20 stalls devoted to meeting all of your culinary cravings. The Winnipeg Folk Festival strives to make sustainable choices available to the masses. Most of the vendors offered items containing local ingredients, which were grown (or raised) organically, and many were produced using Fair Trade ingredients.

I’d highly recommend budgeting for at least one snack or meal, as the quality, freshness and wonderful aromas of the food choices capture your attention as soon as you arrive. The satisfaction comes along seconds later.

Have I missed anything? I hope I’ve addressed your reluctances and maybe even piqued your interest in the Winnipeg Festival. Go. I mean it! This is one of the premiere events of a Manitoba summer.

I’ll be posting another story shortly, sharing my own experiences from this year’s Winnipeg Folk Festival. As Travel Manitoba supplied me with a media pass, I was able to get up close and personal with some of the artists: imagine standing 4 feet from Gord Downie as he jammed at a workshop with Sarah Harmer and John K. Sampson. Exhilarating!

So stay tuned – my mom taught me to share and I’m still good that way.

Please send me an email at jacquie.crone@gmail.com or, if you’re not shy, leave a comment for all of us to enjoy.