Winnipeg Folk Festival

Bringing in the bluegrass

Matthew Swatzky

There’s a lot to experience at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, and the team behind the weekend music event wants attendees to try to get a taste of it all. 

“It’s the whole package, the whole experiential package being out in Birds Hill Park, listening to great music with friends and family, great food to eat,” Folk Fest artistic director Chris Frayer says. “Enjoying where you live and being proud of where you live.” 

This year, people from around the world will be making the trip to the provincial park for the July 7 to 10 festival’s music, beer garden, handmade village, food vendors and music store. 

“New this year is there’s a ton of new bands at the festival we haven’t had before. There’s 40 new workshops,” Frayer says. 

Frayer says a new and exciting event this year will be an evening of bluegrass put on by the Blue Grass Situation. 

The Foggy Hogtown Boys, The Infamous Stringdusters, The Wild Reeds and Noam Pikelny will all perform at the Big Blue stage on the Friday night of the festival. 

This will be followed by the Album Hour All Star Jam where the four groups will perform the Eagles’ album Hotel California. 

“They turn young people onto bluegrass,” Frayer says, noting that they play old style music with a contemporary twist. 

Frayer urges anyone who hasn’t made a trip out to the festival before to come check it out this year, even if they only come for a day. 

“There’s a bunch of fresh stuff going on," Frayer says.

Published in Volume 70, Number 27 of The Uniter (June 2, 2016)

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