2017 Winnipeg Folk Festival

Since 1974 the Winnipeg Folk Festival has been one of the most looked to events of the year for outdoor live, immersive, multi-staged, camping music festivals in North America. Coming on the heels of Country Fest in Dauphin a week earlier and Jazz Fest weeks before that, it has been important for the festival to go beyond in what it presents. The entertainment dollar has a lot of competition.

Folk Festival is a very family friendly event which can't be said about about a lot of music events. They try to present a lot of firsts for artists as well as bringing in established and favourite artists like Bruce Cockburn, Feist and Bare Naked Ladies. And let's not forget about the attraction of Bird's Hill Park. The camping and music inside a naturally beautiful area is an extremely enticing formula. The Festival didn't get to go 44 years by not having some gifts from the start.

The Folk Fest started Thursday and runs through the whole weekend. Some people went up Wednesday including many on bikes. Site improvements have helped create an intimate environment for everyone including vendors and sponsors.

The weather can be a challenge but this weekend looks to be perfect for for one of Canada's greatest music festivals.