Camping

Living in the beautiful outdoors surrounded by acoustic jams and good company…
What can be better than that?

Camper’s Guide

Safety

Camping with your Folk Fest community is a wonderful, freeing, expressive experience that often feels like an escape from reality, but it’s important to keep your wits about you. Be good to yourself and to each other. Continue the Folk Fest legacy of being a respectful, caring, kind and gentle community.

Camp near your friends, mark your property and your tent and take your valuables with you when leave. If you’re not camped near your friends, make friends with your neighbours!

Safety volunteers (in blue vests) patrol the campgrounds and are there to facilitate a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. It is not their mission to police your lifestyle or inhibit self-expression. Please assist them by following their instructions when asked to do so. In the event of an emergency, call 911 first.

Buddy system

Using the buddy system is the best way to take care of your friends at the festival. Take in the festival sights and sounds in pairs or groups, especially at night when the site and campgrounds look a little different.

Stay in control

The Festival may seem like an escape from reality, and while it is a magical place, help keep the festival vibe alive and your experience positive by acting responsibly. You want to remember every moment of your festival weekend, don’t you? Of course you do! Please practice moderation and personal responsibility.

If you see someone who is having a bad experience, flag down a safety volunteer in a blue vest or take them to First Aid, where we also have professional mental health responders. Our number one concern is the well-being of our community. Taking care of yourself and looking out for others is how you can be the best neighbour in our Folk Fest home.

Practice and promote safe and consensual sex

There’s nothing wrong with a romp in the tent so long as everyone’s aware and having a good time. Make your time together safe and consensual. If you forgot condoms, you can get some free of charge at Campground Central. Talk to your partner – consent is as easy as FRIES:

Freely given
Reversible
Informed
Enthusiastic
Specific

Take Care of Yourself, Your Friends and Be a Good Neighbour

Drink alcohol in moderation
You can’t drink enough water! By the time you feel thirsty, your body is already dehydrated. Water taps are marked with blue banners throughout the campgrounds.
Eat well. Enjoy well-balanced meals throughout the day.
Stay on marked trails – there’s poison ivy in the bushes
Wear shoes
Dress appropriately for the weather. If you’re not familiar with Manitoba weather, it can be hot and sunny one moment and cold and rainy the next!

What to Bring

Tent, sleeping pad and sleeping bag
Tarp and rain gear
Cooking gear (pots, pans, camp stove)
Food and a cooler
Black garbage bags and clear recycling bags
Blanket or a low chair
A bike (to get to and from the Festival site)
Water bottle and jugs (look for the water taps marked by blue flags to fill up)
Flashlight and extra batteries
Sunscreen and bug spray
A hat for sun protection
Warm clothing for the cool nights
Comfortable shoes

Campground No-Nos

Camping Options

We operate two campgrounds within Birds Hill Park – the Festival Campground and the Quiet Campground. If you want to camp in one of these campgrounds, make sure you buy a ticket that includes camping.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to safety reasons those with Quiet Campground wristbands CANNOT enter the Festival Campground.

The Birds Hill Provincial Park Campground is another camping option and reservations are required through the Parks Reservation Service.

Minors

Minors (17 years and younger) in the Festival campground must be accompanied by an adult, to a limit of four minors per adult. If you are a guardian of an underage camper, you need to be with them in order for them to exchange their ticket for a wristband and each time they wish to enter the campground. And remember: You’re responsible for them for the duration of the festival.

RVs/Trailers

RVs and trailers are welcome in both the Quiet Campground and Festival Campground, however, all RVs/trailers in both campgrounds must purchase an RV/Trailer Permit Ticket to exchange for an RV/Trailer permit, as space is limited.

The RV/trailer permit reserves one parking space for a camping vehicle in the campgrounds. You only need one permit per RV/trailer, not per person. Only registered camping vehicles are permitted: RVs, campers, trailers and camper vans. Tents designed specifically to attach to a truck/SUV to convert it into a living space are also permitted in the RV section. Along with your parked RV/trailer in your camp spot, you may set up one additional dining or camping tent in the spot as well. Sleeping in your car, an unconverted van or box truck is not allowed. Once inside, vehicles must not be moved except when vacating the campground. There are no in/out privileges.

For the Festival campground, vehicles pulling trailers must leave the camping area after parking the trailer. The exception is trucks providing power to fifth wheels.

Tenting

The maximum Tent Size is 10’ x 20’, maximum tent peg length is 12”. Tent size restrictions allow you to safely enjoy the space with your fellow folkies.

When setting up your tent please ensure at least one foot of clear ground space all around your tent in case of emergency to allow first responders to safely assist you and/or your neighbours.

No Reservations

Campsites cannot be reserved. If you want to camp with a group of friends, you need to arrive together to ensure you get a spot together.

General Info

We measure capacity in our campgrounds through ticket purchases, camping spots are first-come-first-serve but every person aged 13+ entering the campground must have a camping ticket.

Parking

Parking lots are located by the Quiet and Festival Campground entrances and all campers must move in their camping gear by foot. We suggest bringing a wagon!

Un-serviced Sites

The Quiet and Festival Campgrounds are not serviced and all vehicles are parked in parking lots separate from the tenting grounds.

Campground Shuttle

A free shuttle travels a round trip route around to all three campgrounds and the Festival site every 30 minutes during Festival hours to take you from the campgrounds to the site.

The frequency of buses may change unexpectedly due to circumstances outside of our control.

Remove Your Ropes

After the festival's over and you're ready to pack up your tarps and hammocks, please remember to remove all rope from the trees. Over time, rope left wrapped around tree trunks and branches strangles and kills the tree. We have already lost trees for this reason. Help keep the beautiful Birds Hill Park forest alive and healthy.