Winnipeg Folk Festival kicks off its 46th year

Severe thunderstorm warnings and tornado watches didn't stop thousands of folkies from moving,grooving and camping outon Day 1 of the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

A festival spokesperson said they were monitoring the situation closely atBirds Hill Provincial Park, where 80,000 visitors will gather over four days at the46th annual outdoormusic festival.

If they deem thunder and lightning to be an issue, organizers might pause the show but won't pull the plug entirely, a spokesperson said, usingstage announcements andsocial media to keep festival-goers in the loop.

"Everyone's super nice here. There's not like anyone that's really grumpy." said volunteer Erika Beaudin, who has attended the past 14 years since she was one year old.

On its website, organizers recommend the more than 2,800 volunteers and thousands of additional ticket holders download the Winnipeg Folk Fest app for artist bios, schedules, a site map and other useful information.

The site hosts nine stages for performances,food vendors, liquor and beer gardens, as well as the Chickadee Big Top for child-friendly fun. People can pick up day and weekend passes to access the festival, but it's too late to purchase an overnight camping pass, which an organizer saidsold out for the second year in a row.

Musical numbers

Chris Frayer,artistic director for the festival, said he works with artists Juno and Grammy award-winning performers including the Sheepdogs, Death Cab for Cutie, Jason Mraz, K'naan and Kasey Musgraves to help them "make the mostof their time" at the festival.

"We do invest more in artistic budget, so the bands we obviously have are a bit more established," Frayer said about what he believed to be the reason forincreased ticket sales in the past two years compared to previous editions.

"I look forward to just sharing this with a tonof other music-loving folkies."

Frayer said people can look forward to "alot of great music from all over the planet," with morethan 75 groups of local and international musicians from places like the Netherlands, Mexico, Colombia, U.S. and Canada on top of dozens of incidental jam sessions.

Frayer called it a"mixed bag" ofmusic.

This year's festival will have an Icelandic focus, which ties into the heritage of many Manitobans, as well as a "hootenanny" for Pete Seeger, anAmerican folk singer who died in 2014, Frayer said. The musical legend and activistwould have turned 100 this year.

The festival builds on 20 years of the young performers program, which runs in the weeks leading up to the festival as a stepping stone for youth with musical interests and talents. Manitoba local teen Taylor Janzen, a graduate of the youth program, kicks off the festival Thursday night.

More than music

The site offers acres of grass and shaded picnic areas, with more than 150 porta-potties located at the festival site and campgrounds, according to the website. There are ATMs and phone charging stations available and lots of lineups, so organizers suggest peoplestock up on cash and charge up before the shows.

Festival-goers can hopaboard the Folk Fest Express for a free ride to the site.

A new bike rental program presented by Natural Cycleworks is renting Dutch bikes to folkies for the weekend at $50 plus tax and a $25 deposit up front, according to Folk Fest online. The website indicates bikes can be picked up at the festival campground.

Over in the Handmade Village a pop-up market for craftspeople to promote their work artisan Robyn Wolfe of Braecrest Design is selling bee puddles.

"They're a decorative way of providing water for bees and butterflies other pollinators like birds in your garden," Wolfe described her creations made from ceramic and western red cedar.

"Hopefully it will bring some smiles to folk fest peoples' faces."

Wolfe said it's her second year bringing her business to the festival.

"We like the vibe, which is friendly, and family friendly, and happy. The weather is co-operating, so far. It's just a beautiful place to be with a lot of people enjoying some beautiful music and sharing in each others' creative output," Wolfe said.

Staying safe

"We have a large and well-trained safety crew," festival director Frayer said about how organizers maintain a safe place.

First aid services and health and wellness initiatives, such as Red Tent run by KlinicCommunity Health in Winnipeg, are available at select locations to help people take care of their physical and mental wellbeing onlong days under the hot sun.

"It just helps people if they'rehaving a hard time. If they need to find a place to just chill out for a bit, we have people that work in the mental health field that are there," Frayer said.

Leave no trace

The festival strives to be environmentally friendly by using a comprehensive recycling and composting program, the director said. The 30 food vendors located on site and in the campground will provide reuseableplates and compostableutensils.

The festival has also goneplastic water bottle-free, Frayer said.

"We encourage people to bring their own reusable water bottle," he added.

Visit the website for more tips and the answers to frequently asked questions about travel, parking, camping and more.

CBC Manitoba is a sponsor of the Winnipeg Folk Festival.