Festival Info
So, you’re thinking about coming to the Winnipeg Folk Fest? Ready to enjoy the outdoors, relax, meet some friendly music-lovers and discover your next favourite artists? Welcome! Let’s start you off by giving you the low-down on what to expect so you can come prepped and ready for fun.
Tickets
By purchasing tickets to the Winnipeg Folk Festival, you agree to adhere to our Safer Spaces Policy and Terms & Conditions as outlined on our Participant Responsibilities page.
On the Festival Site
- Download the Winnipeg Folk Fest app before you get to the Festival for artist bios, schedules, a site map and other useful information. Available for download in the App Store or on Google Play.
- Join us in the Festival Village – a great meeting place marked with the very identifiable Festival Tower and home to a variety of services.
- If you're hungry you'll find 20+ food vendors offering plenty of healthy, ethical, affordable and sustainable food choices.
- The Hand-Made Village where nearly 50 artisans from across Canada sell their handcrafted works including jewelry, clothing, pottery and musical instruments.
- The Main Tavern is located in this area in case you need to cool down with a refreshing beverage with your choice of beer, cider, wine or cooler.
- The Festival Merch Store is where you can purchase Festival and artist merchandise.
- Audience Services is run by a wonderful crew of volunteers and there you can get a Festival schedule, ask questions and bring or search for lost and found items.
- ATMs are also located between the Main Tavern and Main Stage. In an effort to reduce cash transactions, Taverns, Festival Merch Store, and most of our vendors offer contactless payment options.
- Main Stage seating area. If you’re keen to get a front-row seat, take part in the Tarp Shuffle.
What is the Tarp Shuffle? The tarp shuffle is where you receive a numbered ticket and when your number is called you can then shuffle down the main stage field to claim your spot at main stage for the evening.
How it works: Queue in the tarp shuffle line along the tree line at the Main Gate to receive a ticket. Tickets will be distributed 10 mins before gate opens. The tarp shuffle will begin at Main Stage field approximately 20 minutes after the gate opens – or 5:30 if the ground is wet (will be roped off). Maximum tarp size is 8’X10’.
- Dancing at Main Stage. If you want to get up and dance, there are big spaces to the right of the centre seating area and behind the Main Stage sound booth.
- Gotta go? We have many well-maintained porta-potties on-site stocked full of toilet paper! There are over 150 of them, conveniently located and accessible so there’s never much of a wait.
- In need of accessibility services? We offer a range of services to create an experience that can be enjoyed by all. To see a full list of those services please visit the Accessibility page.
- Safety first! If you're looking for more information on First Aid & Wellness, bad weather, emergency info and more visit Safety.
What to Bring
- Water bottle - Environmental sustainability is a top priority at our Festival so we do not sell bottled water. Be sure to bring your own water bottle from home and fill up on cool and clean water. Our taps on-site are marked with tall blue flags.
- Food & snacks - You must be nourished to fully enjoy the music! Bring your own snacks or buy from any of our delicious food vendors with local, organic and fair trade food – including vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options – for great prices.
- Clothing for all weather - This includes hats and sunblock for the hot sunny days and hoodies, raincoats and boots in case of cooler weather or rain.
- Good footwear - The site is big and the last thing you want is a painful blister to ruin your weekend so make sure you have good walking (and dancing!) footwear. Make sure you also have rain boots handy!
- Cellphone - Using your phone to access the Festival app, connect with friends and snap great pictures is going to drain the battery. Bring your phone’s charging cord and battery pack or use the self-serve Bell MTS Charging Station for free.
- A chair or tarp - Chairs no taller than two feet and 8’x10’ tarps are welcome in the seating area. Chairs taller than two feet and wheelchairs go to the left of the centre seating area.
- Backpack - Bring a backpack to carry all your necessities around from stage to stage. Audience Services will no longer be offering bag check services.
- For Campers - Check out Camping: What to Bring to prepare for your four day Festival home.
What NOT to Bring
- Glass products
- Household furniture
- Amplified music
- Drum kits
- Drones
- Print materials for distribution
- Unauthorized generators
- Pets (service dogs welcome)
- Commercial vending
- Illegal drugs
- Binge drinking devices
- Laser pointers
- Firearms/weapons
- Sky/Chinese/Kongming lanterns
- Fireworks and other explosives
- Alcohol (on the Festival site)
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Transportation to Birds Hill Provincial Park
- The Folk Fest Express is a popular, free bus service that runs every half-hour from downtown Winnipeg to Festival Drive in Birds Hill Park. It takes just under an hour and all you need is a ticket or wristband to ride! All busses are accessible.
- If you’re driving to Birds Hill Park it only takes 20 minutes from the north perimeter of the city up Highway 59. We encourage carpooling! Our parking area is divided into two lots – the east lot and the west lot – and both require a brief walk to the gate. Fair warning: be prepared for a short wait at the end of the night as it takes time to make sure all attendees get out of the park safely.
- Birds Hill Park isn’t that far away from the city – close enough to bike to, in fact! The ride from downtown Winnipeg to the Folk Fest site takes about two hours.
Safety
We all look forward to these four days in July, so of course it’s important to stay safe and look out for each other. We want your Folk Fest experience to be as wonderful as you’ve been imagining all year!
Fire Extinguishers Proudly Donated by
Camping Info
There are two separate campgrounds that operate specifically for the Festival weekend. The Festival Campground and the Quiet Campground. The provincial park campground is also available to Folk Festers but spots for the weekend get booked up immediately when they become available in March through the park’s reservation system.
The Festival Campground is a busy campground of 6,000. This campground is a big group-use area and while there are many spots away from the action to get a good night's sleep, we recommend bringing a pair of earplugs just in case. It is about a 10-minute walk from the campground gate to the Festival site or 20 minutes from the far end of the campground. Biking is also a popular way to get around there.
The Quiet Campground should be your choice if you’re looking for a good sleep after a long day of basking in the sun and dancing to the music. It's a popular spot for families and is located in a beautiful forested area located about 4 km from the Festival site. A shuttle can take you to the Festival and back. Biking is also a nice way to get to and from!
Folk Tips
We've compiled a list of Folk Tips to help us all get back to safe and fun celebrations! Click the "+" to learn more about each tip.
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