Boogie nights (page 3)
Don’t be fooled by the name: the folk fest is not all tie-dye
and protest songs anymore. Buffy Sainte-Marie, one of Canada’s
original folkies, gave an unforgettable performance last year, but
so did hip hop turntablist Buck 65. With 75 or more music workshops
and mini-concerts to choose from over the weekend,
you can drift between Inuit throat-singing and electric blues.
There’s soul, country, Celtic, world beat, rockabilly, rock ’n’ roll
and even some singer-songwriters, such as Springsteen-Dylan
amalgam Dan Bern. During a 1999 concert, Bern heard Loudon
Wainwright III playing at the stage next door and asked his
audience to join him there for a song. He toddled off like the
Pied Piper and hundreds of us followed. After a song, Bern led
us all back. That’s the charm of the festival: the environment is
controlled and predictable, but the artists are not, and there’s just
enough tension to make it interesting.
FESTIVAL CITY
Getting there No parking is available at
Gallagher Park, where the
Edmonton Folk Music Festival
is held. However, bus transit
service goes right by the park in
all directions. Call (780) 496-1611
for information on park-and-ride
locations.
Staying there Hostel-style accommodations
are available on-site at The
Bennett Centre. Families are
welcome. Call (800) 664-6630
or (780) 468-1439, or e-mail
bennett.centre@epsb.ca. Some
downtown hotels offer accommodation
and festival passes.
Go to www.staytoplay.com for
information. Or contact Edmonton
Tourism at (800) 463-4667 or
(780) 496-8400 for information
on hotels within walking distance
of the festival.
Playing there
The sun seems to never set in
Edmonton during the summer
months. Known as Festival City,
the Alberta capital rocks while the
weather permits. It hosts a fringe
theatre festival, a street performers
festival, an art and design festival,
a Shakespeare festival and a long
list of others. For information, call
Alberta Tourism at (800) 661-8888
or visit www.edmontonfolkfest.org,
click on Festival Info, then on
Other Alberta Festivals.
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Years ago, Dan and I would study the program, apply military-
style logistics, then race walk between seven side stages and
25-plus food vendors prior to the evening’s mainstage shows.
I had a vague notion of a “children’s area“ near the entrance only
because I’d pass it on my way to the beer tent. Now my buddies
and I meet at the playground and reminisce about frolicsome
youth while our children eat sand and ride their candy floss
highs. Mopey teenagers in black jeans and checkered Vans -
caught between adolescence and adulthood - linger on the
periphery, thumbing text messages.
“It’s like camping, concert and amusement park all in one,“
says Linda Grant, a teacher from Queen Charlotte City in Haida
Gwaii. We’re standing in line at one of a half-dozen huge, inflatable
jumping pens for kids. Our children are giddy from practice
jumping. She went to school in Edmonton and, like Bill Howard,
comes back often with her two sons to attend the folk fest. “It’s
a very family-oriented thing. I love this kind of music, and my
kids love music, so it’s something we can do together.“
We are all kids here. We don the gaudy duds that hang in the
back of our closets and play dress-up amid a colourful, swirling
serenade. Chriz Miller, 27, calls it “a temporary autonomous
zone.“ Miller, who juggles flaming balls on strings, is a Toronto
resident from Innisfail, Alta. “It’s one of the most accepting, inclusive groups you’ll ever find,“ he says. “People let their hair down in a way they can’t otherwise.“
So if your hair has been shackled, set it free. Dance under the
stars like a Cameroonian. The Edmonton Folk Music Festival
might seem like an anomaly to outsiders who still think we’re
all Stockwell Day conservative or Marlboro Man ranchy, but for
Alberta’s increasingly young, urban, educated, multicultural
masses, it’s four days of folkie abandon. And if you can manage
a child-free sabbatical, even for one night, all the better.
Writer Lisa Gregoire and photographers John Ulan and Ian Jackson,
of Epic Photography, are all based in Edmonton.
GUITAR TRAILS
Cross-country music festivals
BRITISH COLUMBIA
VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 18-20
Held at picturesque Jericho Beach Park, the festival features homegrown
and international artists with a sprinkling of hip hop and reggae.
www.thefestival.bc.ca
VANCOUVER ISLAND MUSICFEST JULY 11-13
Smaller and younger than its mainland cousin, it is family-friendly, with
on-site camping and music on five stages. www.islandmusicfest.com
ALBERTA
CALGARY FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 24-27
Held at shady Prince’s Island Park, the festival is starting to build the
same fan loyalty as its Edmonton rival. www.calgaryfolkfest.com
SOUTH COUNTRY FAIR JULY 18-20
Expect an intimate camping and musical weekend in historic
Fort Macleod, on the banks of the Oldman River. www.scfair.ab.ca
SASKATCHEWAN
REGINA FOLK FESTIVAL AUG. 8-10
Western Canada’s longest-running folk festival is held in Victoria Park,
in the heart of downtown Regina, and features independent folk and
roots music. www.reginafolkfestival.com
NESS CREEK MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 17-20
Tiny and tucked away in northern Saskatchewan, the Ness Creek festival
has become a favourite among touring musicians. www.nesscreek.com
MANITOBA
WINNIPEG FOLK FESTIVAL JULY 10-13
Launched in 1974 to mark the city’s 100th birthday, Winnipeg’s festival
is an unforgettable experience that offers fans two evening mainstages,
one showcasing traditional artists, the other alternative folk.
www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca
ONTARIO
MARIPOSA FOLK FESTIVAL JULY 4-6
The granddaddy of Canadian folk, Orillia’s four-decade-old Mariposa
festival is free to kids under 16. www.mariposafolk.com
HILLSIDE FESTIVAL JULY 25-27
Unfolding over three days in the Guelph Lake Conservation Area,
Hillside tends to attract a younger crowd. www.hillsidefestival.ca
QUEBEC
FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL DE JAZZ DE MONTRÉAL JUNE 26-JULY 6
Montréal’s incomparable jazz festival is an enormous 11-day street
festival extravaganza. www.montrealjazzfest.com
NEW BRUNSWICK
LOYALIST CITY FOLK FESTIVAL MAY 29-JUNE 1
Held in Saint John bars, pubs, schools and theatres, it showcases
Maritime talent. www.kingstreetentertainment.com/folkfest
HARVEST JAZZ & BLUES FESTIVAL SEPT. 9-14
Every September, Fredericton becomes a world-class music venue alight
with global jazz, blues and Cajun music. www.harvestjazzandblues.com
NOVA SCOTIA
ATLANTIC JAZZ FESTIVAL JULY 11-19
Eastern Canada’s biggest music festival draws 450 performers to Halifax
every July for a spicy menu of the world’s best jazz dishes, from African
trumpeters to firey flamenco. www.jazzeast.com
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
PEI BLUEGRASS & OLD TIME MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 4-6
Held in Rollo Bay with the ocean as a backdrop, this music festival fuses
American traditional bluegrass acts with homegrown Maritime talent.
www.bluegrasspei.com
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR
NEWFOUNDLAND AND LABRADOR FOLK FESTIVAL AUG. 8-10
With jigs and reels rolling out into the streets of St. John’s, this
festival offers an evening mainstage plus daily workshops in traditional
instruments, oral traditions and dance. www.nlfolk.com
YUKON
FROSTBITE MUSIC FESTIVAL MID-FEBRUARY
Hot sounds cancel out Whitehorse’s February deep-freeze at this
renowned northern festival, which features local singer-songwriters
and other Canadian and American artists. www.frostbitefest.ca
DAWSON CITY MUSIC FESTIVAL JULY 18-20
Dubbed “Canada’s tiny perfect festival,“ by Vancouver’s Georgia
Straight, Dawson attracts high-calibre acts such as Bruce Cockburn
and fans keen to dance all night under the sun. www.dcmf.com
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES
FOLK ON THE ROCKS JULY 18-20
With its unique blend of northern traditional and international music
and accompanying arts, crafts and northern foods, Yellowknife’s lakeside
music festival has grown into the biggest summer party north of 60.
www.folkontherocks.com
NUNAVUT
ALIANAIT! JUNE 21-JULY 1
With performers flying in from other territories, Alaska, Greenland and
Scandinavia, the Alianait! Arts Festival in Iqaluit will be hopping this
summer. www.alianait.ca
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