Camping
Living in the beautiful outdoors surrounded by acoustic jams and good company…
What can be better than that?
quick-jump
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.
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.
Camper's Guide
Everything you need to know as a camper at the Festival.
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 have access to 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
More information on what the Festival is doing for community wellness.
There is no specific camping spot reserved for each Camping Ticket sold, camping tickets allow you to enter the campground you purchased and set up your campsite. It is a great time to meet other folkies and share the large open field, water taps, picnic tables and fire pits, as they are for communal use. We don't offer water or electric hook-ups.
- Practice safer alcohol and other substance use.
- 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!
Minors (17 years and younger) in the campgrounds 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.
- Fireworks, fire sticks or fire batons
- Glass (this includes beer and liquor bottles)
- Fires outside designated fire pits
- Burning or collecting scavenged wood
- Pets
- Household furniture
- Amplified music
- Drum kits
- Unauthorized distribution of printed materials
- Commercial vending
- Generators
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.
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!
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.
We are primarily a tent-camping festival; however, a limited number of RV/Trailer permits are available for purchase separately. RV/Trailer Permit tickets go on sale December 2, 2024, at 10AM. If you missed out on the RV/Trailer Permit tickets, please sign up for the waitlist (more information on the waitlist please visit FAQ)
If tickets become available, they will be released to the waitlist on a first come first served basis.
There will not be a second release of RV Permit tickets.
The Festival has held back a limited amount of RV/Trailer Permit tickets for internal use. If they are not required, we will release those tickets to the waitlist. The majority of RV/Trailer Permit tickets are released on December 2, 2024.
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 and stability to fifth wheels.
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.
The Campground Shuttle is not accessible.
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.
What to Bring
Make sure you have everything you need for the best weekend of summer!
- Tents/shelters
- Sleeping bags
- Pillows
- Air mattresses
- Tarps
- Camping chairs
- Water tank/jug
- Cooler and/or water jugs
- Camping stove or grill
- Food for the weekend
- Washing bins
In the Festival Campground - we have a great selection of food vendors at Campground Central.
- Flashlight with extra batteries
- Bug spray
- Sunscreen (SPF 30 or higher)
- Sunglasses
- Small camping first aid kit
- Hat
- T-shirts/tanks
- Shorts
- Long pants
- Rain jacket
- Rain boots
- Your fave Winnipeg Folk Fest hoodie or crew neck
- Extra shoes/sneakers
- Soaps and shampoos
- Toilet paper (you never know)
- Deodorant
- Earplugs (for sleeping)
- Your phone with the Winnipeg Folk Fest app downloaded to keep you up-to-date
- Extra set of keys to keep with you at all times (avoid keeping keys in your car!)
- Blanket
FAQ
Sorry, camping is only sold combined with a 4-day ticket.
Sorry, only people who are camping can enter the campgrounds. Your wristband will grant you entrance only to the campground in which you are camping; for example, you can’t visit your friends in the Festival Campground if you are camping in the Quiet Campground.
Sorry, due to safety reasons only those with a valid Festival Campground wristband can enter the Festival Campground.
Quiet camping is a bit further away from the Festival site and offers a great experience with plenty of shade, shelters with running water and flush toilets. It’s a quiet environment to ensure a good night’s sleep. There is a free shuttle to the Festival site every 30 minutes (it is not accessible). Thousands of festivalgoers camp there every year – and they love it! Quiet Campground Box Office will open at 12:00 PM on Wednesday.
Yes, we offer unserviced RV/trailer camping in a specific area in both of our campgrounds. Due to the popularity of the RV/trailer camping sections, you must purchase an RV/trailer permit in advance to ensure you will get a spot when you arrive.
Yes, 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.
It takes significantly more infrastructure and resources to create the Festival Campground. The price of the Festival Campground reflects the additional services and infrastructure we’ve invested in to improve and increase lighting, first aid and offer food vendors. The Festival Campground also requires more security to ensure the safety and well-being of its community.
The capacity of the Festival Campground is established in consultation with the RCMP and Birds Hill Provincial Park. It is capped to ensure a positive and safe experience for everyone.
Please contact our office at (204) 231-0096 or email volunteer@winnipegfolkfestival.ca.
Amenities in the Festival Campground include an area for food vendors, RV/trailer camping, Enviro Headquarters, a campground store, Campground Central and First Aid, water taps throughout, cold showers, washrooms, a garbage and recycling depot and a bus service to the Festival site. Check out this map before you get to the Festival Campground.
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Amenities in the Quiet Campground include serviced picnic shelters, modern washrooms, RV/trailer camping, safety services and a bus service to the Festival site. Check out this map before you get to the Quiet Campground.
(Click image to enlarge)
The province decides if campfires are permitted or not. If the province does permit campfires they are only allowed in approved pits. Please check the Government of Manitoba's Fire & Travel Restrictions page below. https://www.gov.mb.ca/sd/parks/fire_restriction.html
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