Edmonton Folk Fest returns for its 37th year with an endless list of amazing artists, food and activities. The Folk Fest staged has hosted loads of SONiC artists like Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats, Of Monsters and Men, Kaleo, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros, Feist and more. Here’s what you need to know about this year’s Folk Fest!

 

1. Fantastic lineup. Edmonton Folk Fest always delivers with their multi-genre list of performers. Expect to experience everything from bluegrass to Celtic to gospel along all six stages. This year’s lineup is no different with huge acts like City and Colour, soul singer Leon Bridges, the Decemberists and more.

Keep an eye out for collaborating artists too! Each year the Folk Fest side-stages host epic jams, like when Dan Mangan and Vance Joy improvised a song in 2014.

Or like when Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats played in BOTH 2015 and 2016, and came in to do a lil’ SONiC Session.

Check out the entire lineup HERE. 

 

2. Venue. Each year, the festival takes over Gallagher Park, right in the heart of the city. There is no on-site parking for the festival, so it’s best to plan ahead with city transit, Park & Ride or bike. There are on-site bike locks available by the Muttart Conservatory from:

Thursday 1:30 PM – 11:30 PM
Friday      1:30 PM – 12:30 AM
Saturday  9:00 AM – 12:30 AM
Sunday    9:00 AM – 11:30 PM

Get more festival transit info HERE.

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3. Play the lottery. When you go to Folk Fest, you gamble! For a sweet spot on the hill, that is. For the Folk Fest “lottery”, you show up to the gates early – like 6AM early – and get a ticket. Your ticket is usually brightly coloured with a festival band written on it. There dozens of different tickets and each are drawn at random. If your ticket is one of the first called, you get to choose your spot on the hill FIRST! Don’t forget your tarp!

Get more info on the lottery system HERE.

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4. Tastiest (and healthiest) festival food ever! Each year Folk Fest curates a wide variety of food vendors with options for every diet and cuisine. They also love beer – so much so that the festival’s beer garden serves more beer than any other festival in western Canada. Amazing.

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5. Part of Edmonton culture. Folk Fest is to Edmonton what Patrick is to Spongebob – INSEPARABLE. The festival was founded 37 years ago and since then, it’s been an Edmonton staple that you need to experience at least once as an Edmontonian. Get your day passes HERE before they’re gone!

 

FOLLOW ALONG WITH SONiC DURING THIS YEAR’S FOLK FEST ON OUR INSTAGRAM! 

Filed under: Folk Fest, yeg