A Year in Review

December 21, 2021 |

While it’s been another tough year without a Festival, we wanted to say once again how grateful we are for your support over the last year. Whether you donated, started volunteering again, watched a show online, purchased tickets to our concert series or the 2022 Winnipeg Folk Fest or just shared some kind words, we appreciate you so much. Keep scrolling to look back on all the wonderful things that did happen in 2021.

We hope your 2022 will be filled with good things – including, of course, incredible music!

Looking Back

Keeping Music Alive Online
Over 2021 we were still able to support artists through online streaming including four Folk in the City: Live at the Burt shows for the Manitoba Government’s #SafeAtHome, Kinaxis InConcert: A Winnipeg Folk Festival Workshop in Celebration of the STINGRAY Young Performers Program, and Assiniboine Credit Union & Winnipeg Folk Festival present So Long, Bannatyne a Manitoba 150 celebration.

In addition to our own programming, we were able to support nine artists in promoting their own online concerts throughout 2021 including Blue Rodeo, Ani Difranco, The East Pointers and MORE!

Folk in the City: Live at the Burt
Over four Sundays in March we were joined by Amber Nielsen, Andrina Turenne, Anthony OKS, Jess Ayre, JP Hoe, Juvel, Kelly Bado, Kris Ulrich, Leonard Sumner, Little Miss Higgins, Micah Erenberg, Richard Inman, The Small Glories, Super Duty Tough Work and Sweet Alibi.


Kinaxis InConcert: A Winnipeg Folk Festival Workshop in Celebration of the STINGRAY Young Performers Program

This workshop featured STINGRAY Young Performers alumni Slow Leaves, Sochei and Taylor Janzen

Assiniboine Credit Union & Winnipeg Folk Festival present So Long, Bannatyne
Hosted by: jonny moonbeam with house band FONTINE, Joanna Miller, MJ Dandeneau, Rusty Matyas and Sol James.
Featuring: Andrina Turenne, Boy Golden, Dana Waldie, Diaphanie, JP Hoe, Rayannah, Sebastian Gaskin and The Lytics.


Bringing In-Person Music Back to the Community

Since our last in-person show on March 11, 2020, we’ve been patiently waiting to get folks back into the community enjoying live music and supporting artists as they return to the stage.

So Long, Bannatyne Finale November 20, 2021 at Burton Cummings Theatre

From left to right: Sol James, FONTINE and Dana Waldie at So Long, Bannatyne on November 20, 2021 at Burton Cummings Theatre

On November 20, 2021 we were able to start up our concert series once again with Assiniboine Credit Union & Winnipeg Folk Festival present So Long, Bannatyne! This Manitoba 150 celebration event was set to take the stage at the 2020 Festival but due to COVID-19 it was turned into its own event featuring a broad selection of Manitoba’s remarkable talent.

Martha Wainwright at The Park Theatre on November 23.

Our first sold out show of 2021 was the beguiling performer and songwriter Martha Wainwright.

JP Hoe and friends at Burton Cummings Theatre on December 11.

Our final show of the year was the return of the beloved JP Hoe Hoe Hoe Holiday Show in front of a sold out crowd.

Prado performing at Common Ground

We were also able to work with sākihiwē festival and IRCOM to showcase two Common Ground concerts in the community. Common Ground brings Newcomer artists and Indigenous artists together to share their stories and songs with youth and their families.

Photos by Matt Duboff


Community Support
We couldn’t have made it through without our wonderful donors, sponsors and funders. Over the last year, we’ve received generous donations from 573 donors totaling 1,248 donors since the pandemic began.

In addition to donations, we could not have done any of the above projects without our sponsors The Asper Foundation, Assiniboine Credit Union, Bell MTS, Manitoba Film & Music, Manitoba Liquor Marts, Powerland and Wawanesa Insurance or our funders Canadian Heritage, Kinaxis, Manitoba 150, Manitoba Arts Council, Manitoba Government #SafeAtHome, SOCAN Foundation, Winnipeg Arts Council and Winnipeg Foundation. We appreciate you all so much and from the bottom of our hearts thank you for your unwavering support.

We were able to build a new site office backstage thanks to Manitoba Arts Council’s Strengthen Grant and supporters Jane, Jim and Maggie and Flatlanders Flooring.


Looking Ahead

2022 Winnipeg Folk Fest Creative by Roberta Landreth

The Return of Winnipeg Folk Fest
After a long two years, we were finally able to go on sale and start gearing up for the 47th edition of the Winnipeg Folk Fest! Thanks to you, our faithful folkies, we were able to have a record-breaking first week of sales. That truly means the world to us, the Winnipeg Folk Festival office is a buzz as we get back to what we love most – bringing world class music back to Winnipeg stages.


Hear All Year Concert Series presented by Assiniboine Credit Union
Can’t wait until the Festival to hear great music? Get tickets to any of the below concerts to get your music fix before we head back to Birds Hill Park! Visit our Concerts page for more details.