Wrapping up last weekend's 49th Winnipeg Folk Festival
Seemingly endless magical performances, feeling of community highlight 2024 edition of the fest
Filed under: Festivals
The 49th annual Winnipeg Folk Festival has come and gone -- hopefully so have all the sunburns and dehydration! The memories, though, I want to keep close.
July 11–14 was a sweltering four days with several thunderstorms. Even so, this year's festival welcomed 76,500 people to Birds Hill Park, setting a new record for the highest paid attendance in the fest's history.
Walking into the festival grounds for the first time each year is such a heart-full moment. The forested path opens up onto that first glimpse: people dancing in the grass by Snowberry stage, others reading menus at the grand row of food vendors, kids smiling (or crying, let's be real) in face paint. It's just a music festival... but it also feels like a special community. This sounds too cheesy to put in print -- but what are you supposed to do when it's also true??
This community (dubbed the best audience in the world by main stage host Lana Gay), comes together every summer to see some excellent music.
As predicted, New Dangerfield were geniuses on the strings, Inn Echo's music immediately made me feel cheerful, and Joy Oladokun's between-song banter created an engaging performance on a personal level that I feel the main stage often lacks.
My absolute highlight of the weekend was Dirtwire's fireball of a show at Big Blue @ Night. I've been trying to find words to describe it, but all I keep saying is, "It was sooooo good!!" Think bluegrass rave: people dancing, me and my friends laughing incredulously about the wicked builds and drops, the musicians excitedly bringing out instrument after instrument from around the world.
A close second was "Mutual Admiration Society," a workshop of all Manitoba musicians. I don't often go to WFF's annual Manitoba showcase, only because I've already seen most of the featured artists or I have various other opportunities to do so. But WOW! I'm going to make a point of searching it out from now on. The Stanley County Cut-Ups, Ariel Posen, Ruth Moody, Leith Ross, and Roman Clarke brought lively stage presence, guitar mastery, divine voices, and Manitoba stories -- yet another reminder of the incredible calibre of this province's music scene. Seeing Ruth Moody in-person for the first time was particularly special for me, as a long-time fan of The Wailin' Jennys.
The tweeners of Friday night's main stage, Palmyra (Virginia) and Mama's Broke (Louisiana/Nova Scotia), were surprise standouts -- artists previously unknown to me, who became festival favourites for my friends and me, and likely many others in the audience.
It's hard to believe there are still numerous artists I didn't catch even once throughout the weekend, despite seeing so many different performances. I have no qualms about missing some acts, while for others I shed some metaphorical tears.
One of those was Medicine Singers, a group that combines traditional Native American powwow music with experimental jazz, rock, electronic, and more. Another was Steph Strings, an Australian singer and guitarist whose intricate playing has similarities to past WFF performer John Butler. I also caught one song from Tall Tall Trees at the end of a workshop with multiple musicians, and was instantly reminded of how much I loved his set at WFF in 2022. I'm hoping they all return to Winnipeg soon.
Of course, the eternal curse of folk fest is that it's physically impossible to watch everything -- but it's hard not to have regrets. If you've ever felt the same, feel free to use this pep talk I gave myself: One of the best things about music festivals is all the new artists they introduce you to. Use this opportunity to listen to their music and keep your eyes out for when and where they're next performing.
The cancellation of the sing-along finale tradition at the end of Sunday night due to time constraints was a disappointment (as indicated by the agonized yell that shot up from the crowd), but it will make next year's only more meaningful. Not least because it will be WFF's 50th festival! July 10–13, 2025 is sure to be an unforgettable experience and I'm already eagerly awaiting it.
Tags: Winnipeg Folk Festival, WFF2024, Dirtwire, Ruth Moody, Joy Oladokun, Inn Echo, New Dangerfield, Mama's Broke, Palmyra, The Stanley County Cut-Ups
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