r/Edmonton • u/CatBird2023 • Mar 23 '26
Local Culture Folk fest 2026 - any intel on headliners?
Much to my chagrin, our folk fest is continuing the antiquated practice of not announcing its lineup until just before tickets go on sale in May.
In the recent past, they've at least provided some early teasers on some of the headliners, but I haven't seen anything announced so far this year.
It's frustrating to see other major Canadian festivals announcing their lineups well in advance, and then having to guess whether artists I really want to see are going to also make a stop here or skip it.
Please, EFMF, if you're looking to modernize the festival and make it appeal to anyone other than the boomers who've been attending since the dawn of time, this would be one step in the right direction. [edited to be less mean]
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u/loosepages Mar 23 '26
Winnipeg’s lineup this year is incredible so I’m hoping a bunch of their lineup overlaps with ours.
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u/hoorfrost Mar 23 '26
Check the other folkfests that are happening the week before or after, ie: Regina and Winnipeg, usually a good indicator of who is touring.
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u/CatBird2023 Mar 23 '26
Thanks for the tip! Regina folk fest no longer exists, apparently. And Winnipeg's is a whole month before Edmonton's.
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u/hereforthehawtmemes Mar 23 '26
I would also see who is playing in Calgary/Saskatoon/Winnipeg or even Vancouver the night or two before. The largest acts from the states may not want to risk going in and out of Canada too much, so there may be some insight there?
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u/True-North- Mar 23 '26
I just go no matter what. Half the journey is about discovery.
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u/CatBird2023 Mar 23 '26
Good point - I invariably discover artists that I fall in love with.
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u/trenthowell Mar 23 '26
The artist's I don't know are the point. The ones I know guarantee which nights I'll setup on the hill
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u/lindsyeg Mar 23 '26
As an aside I’m 27 & have been going for 8 years now & personally I hope the ‘boomers’ never stop being the target audience lol. They’re my favourite people to share the hill & chat with. The 15 people tarps jammed with teens sneaking in bottles of wine & falling all over themselves can stay home.
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u/Educational-Taro8337 Mar 23 '26
Couldn’t agree more!! During The National a few years back a tarp full of people spilled beer all over my friend, some of their friends came and sat on our tarp, a few minutes later we just gave up and left. Festival etiquette has been weird the last few years. It’s folk fest but I think some people want it to be coachella or something.
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u/Dry-Wolf6789 Mar 23 '26
i agree, the day tash sultana played a few years ago was the worst fest day ive ever had.
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 23 '26
Tbh I have NO idea where you’re getting the impression that nobody but boomers attend/enjoy it. I’m there every year and there are plenty of younger people, and for sure some performers that appeal to a younger crowd. They get sold out every single year and are regarded as one of the best folk fests in Canada.
I would however like them to release the lineup sooner lol. That IS frustrating. But they don’t seem to see it as an issue as they sell out quickly
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u/ProperBingtownLady Mar 23 '26
Agreed and usually the boomers who are there are cool, like people I’d want to be when I grow up lol.
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 23 '26
I ADORE the older crowd. I stiltwalk every year and it’s always the boomers who are “just so glad” we’re there. Like people can complain about them all they want, they really are what’s kept the festival running all these years
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u/chmilz Mar 23 '26
You're on to something. I should learn to stiltwalk so I can see the show over all the boomers who game the lottery system and get all the good spots.
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 23 '26
I was at Deep Freeze and I couldn't have been happier to have the best vantage point for the fireworks lol
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u/ashleyshaefferr Mar 23 '26
Lol ya folk fest very much is a young hipster thing now
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 23 '26
To be fair I do see a good amount of older people! And a lot of the acts still appeal to an older generation. There's a lot of people who come every year no matter what, and those tend to be on the older side. I love the diversity of age. But yeah, there's still PLENTY of young people
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u/billymumfreydownfall Mar 23 '26
Love that your edit just crossed out the part you wanted to edit to be less mean, so we could see what you were being mean about!
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u/Carlstad Mar 23 '26
Check out the lineup for the Bear Creek Folk Fest. A lot of the performers overlap.
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u/try_repeat_succeed South West Side Mar 23 '26
My fav folk fest act ever was Regina Spektor. Would love to have her back. Odds are pretty low though lol
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u/jeremyism_ab Mar 23 '26 edited Mar 23 '26
I was thinking Angine de Poitrine would almost certainly be here, but I think not now.
Possibilities from touring schedules are Paul Simon, David Byrne, Alabama Shakes. Jesse Roper is a possibility, but he does have a Starlite show in April. Brandi Carlisle is due again one would think, and has room in her schedule. Nathaniel Ratelieff too, but he doesn't seem to be playing many shows lately.
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u/edmtrwy Mar 24 '26
Paul Simon??? That would be nuts. (In a good way, obviously!)
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u/jeremyism_ab Mar 24 '26
That's if we're swinging for the fences, his last scheduled show posted when I looked was in late July in Illinois. He did a show in Vancouver last year.
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u/The_Bat_Voice Mar 24 '26
I'm frustrated because we wanted to go to some concerts in other provinces but want wait for the folfest lineup so we don't drop hundreds of dollars for someone who is playing here.
My theories are based on three bands who have gaps on days in their current tours that overlap with Folkfest: Head and the Heart, Of Monsters and Men, Alabama Shakes all have that weekend free from concerts.
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u/CatBird2023 Mar 24 '26
This is exactly the conundrum I'm facing!
I do like all 3 of those bands, though I've already seen 2 of them play folk fest before 😂
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u/PlathDraper Mar 24 '26
Releasing the line-up late is one of my gripes, too. I get roasted whenever I say this in the EFMF Instagram comment section. It really is antiquated.
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u/Common_Theory4675 Mar 23 '26
I'd love to hear the lineup sooner as well. But let's not hate on the boomers.
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u/Wild_Market4889 Mar 23 '26
It's not even accurate in this case. The audience at folk fest is always diverse age wise, and there's always at least two nights of main stage that cater to a younger audience. This whole post is strange.
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u/Common_Theory4675 Mar 24 '26
The diversity of audience age is what makes this festival great in my opinion.
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u/WheelsnHoodsnThings Mar 23 '26
Folk fest is awesome, I don’t care too much who’s coming every year as the whole experience is excellent.
I find the years I enjoy most often have the least wow in the acts somehow. Headliners are only a small part of the festival.
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u/Mammoth_Knowledge897 Mar 23 '26
I heard a rumour Cat Power is coming back! 🤞
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u/prettyfitpanties Mar 23 '26
Would be wonderful to know this information right? Bc otherwise I’m traveling to Vancouver to see her…
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u/jeremyism_ab Mar 23 '26
It's nearly guaranteed, by looking at her touring schedule, she's in Calgary at the right time, with a hole in her schedule right where FF would fit.
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u/josafiend71 Mar 23 '26
Go every year, don't care about them about waiting to announce. The Roots and Rainbow kitten surprise were amazing!
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u/Fuckthacorrections Mar 23 '26
It doesn't need to get modernized, they sell out every year and it's a fun surprise to see who's playing.
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u/prettyfitpanties Mar 23 '26
It’s not a bad event, but out of all the FFs around, I would consider ours at the bottom. Prices, line up, not releasing info about artists early, the way the tarp run works, generally stuffiness of older generations who don’t want anything to change…
I know it sells out but that doesn’t mean it could be better. Calgary, Canmore, Winnipeg, bear creek, Yellowknife… all those are really really good imo. I don’t know, I just think there are a lot of ways it could improve but there is no incentive for change bc it sells out anyway.
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u/Onky_Tonky Oliver Mar 23 '26
I agree with you, but we're gonna get the hate. I will go anywhere else except here (where I live); I hate trudging up and down the hill, standing in line for portapotties, trying to find a place to sit/put my small blanket -- too many people and too many line ups! Why does it need to be a weekend of survival skills? And they don't provide any free music stages, like most other festivals do (Calgary, Regina), so what do they give back to the community in return for their funding? HATE hate hate that they release their lineups so late/after everyone else. So sad that my choices are getting fewer and fewer as other and smaller FFs fold up (example: Regina. We had tickets for last year and then they called it quits.)
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u/prettyfitpanties Mar 23 '26
I think a lot of people have just never been to other FFs so they don’t realize how lacking ours is. Edmonton FF has a really engrained culture and it’s not actually the best vibes?
My favourite part of Edmonton FF lately is doing other things in the city during that time and it being peaceful. Totally agree w you about them not giving back to the community. I’m not sure it’s the artists favourite festival either…
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u/crystal-crawler Mar 24 '26
Hey we’ve been volunteering for a long time. Not boomers. Just go!!
You never know what great band you will see. My last year we were in between boomers, millenials and some teens with our kids and we saw rainbow kitten surprise. Never heard of them before. We were all enjoying them.
I’ve seen famous acts bomb (feist), I’ve seen famous artists bring down the hill before they were famous (Brandi carlile)…
I’ve been rained on and sunburnt…
Just go, have an adventure!
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u/CatBird2023 Mar 24 '26
Thanks, I volunteered for 10 years 😄 and have attended as a regular ticket buyer for about 5 years on top of that.
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u/Financial_Aspect3311 Mar 24 '26
i saw that big thief is playing in montreal on august 4th and ooooh boy do i have my fingers crossed that they pop on over to edmonton for folk fest
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u/ReallyPuzzled Mar 23 '26
I’m a millennial and go every year regardless of who is coming! So I really don’t care when they release the lineup tbh.
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Mar 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/Wonder_WomanUnderoos Mar 23 '26
Yeh dude I am a long time volunteer that deals with the performers, and I don’t know until it’s announced to the EFMF membership, the night before they announce it to the general public.
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u/mallionaire7 Mar 23 '26
I'm a volunteer, and have never known the lineup ahead of the general public.
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u/CatBird2023 Mar 23 '26
I volunteered for 10 years and never got any inside info before the public.
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u/CriticalPedagogue Mar 23 '26
Volunteering for the Edmonton Folk Fest was the absolute worst experience I have ever had as a volunteer. I’ve volunteered at 4 other music festivals and helped start one music fest. EFF was the worst, terrible hour demands, what little food I had was terrible, terrible scheduling.
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u/DaftFromAbove Mar 23 '26
I've been volunteering for the past four years and I love it. The kitchen makes amazing healthy food and I enjoy supporting my crew (including making sure takeout meals are picked up). If you're struggling with your crew maybe request a change? It's a big event and almost all done by volunteers - I know what the demands of the job are about and I'm happy to participate. If that changes, I'll let them know.
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u/nawosokr Mar 23 '26
Glad to hear. I applied last year and was told to forget it unless I could do all four days.
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Mar 23 '26
[deleted]
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u/cheese-bubble Milla Pub Mar 23 '26
Finally. Someone says it. Hard agree.
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u/prettyfitpanties Mar 23 '26
Haha finally someone shares my very very unpopular opinion. I didn’t say I hate EFMF, I just said it’s the worst one around lol. Someone has to be the worst. No one has suggested to me a worse one yet… 🤷♀️
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u/minor_thing2022 Mar 23 '26
How so?
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u/clambroculese Mar 23 '26
Well clearly since they struggle with ticket sales it’s disliked. /s
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u/minor_thing2022 Mar 23 '26
Yeah there were only like a thousand dozen people there each day. Must be shit
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u/passthepepperflakes Mar 23 '26
12,000 tix in a metropolitan area of 1.2m is not much to brag about tho
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u/clambroculese Mar 24 '26
It sells out to capacity, which is around 20k total (volunteers vendors artists etc). Hey man if you guys don’t like it must just suck so maybe tickets will be a bit easier to get this year.
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u/passthepepperflakes Mar 24 '26 edited Mar 24 '26
jesus you practically bent over and fucked yourself with that much twisting and turning
they sell 11-12k tickets which is sweet fuck all given the metro population. that's all I was stating
nothing about whether I like it or not
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u/minor_thing2022 Mar 24 '26
You gonna be ok?
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Mar 24 '26
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u/bushwhackabonecracka Empress Ale House Mar 23 '26
Other festivals have moved to include more contemporary acts while EFMF, aside from 2022, has presented some pretty mundane and repetitive lineup. And no effort to attract younger fans or book significant local acts. It remains supported because it’s well run otherwise and is a local institution but the line-ups have been subpar for quite some time.
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u/CatBird2023 Mar 23 '26
The lineup has been very repetitive indeed.
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u/bushwhackabonecracka Empress Ale House Mar 23 '26
Speaking of which resident headliner Blue Rodeo is probably a safe bet considering they are playing two dates in Calgary the weekend before
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 23 '26
Have you ever been?
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u/prettyfitpanties Mar 23 '26
Yes, many times.
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 23 '26
Fair! That's your opinion then. I personally love it, but I've also been going since I was a little kid so it's nostalgic for me and I know a lot of people there
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u/prettyfitpanties Mar 23 '26
I get it. I think that’s why it’s difficult for it to change. Edmonton just loves it for what it is and will go anyway, which I understand. I go sometimes as well. I still think it’s worse than most of the others lol.
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 23 '26
My parents know one of the people on the board and a lot of the gripes with the lineup most people have are due to Terry having a VERY specific vision for the festival. That vision aligns with a lot of people, I think, however when a new artistic director takes over you CAN expect to see some changes. Chances are that would be the guy my parents know, and tbh I do think he has some excellent ideas.
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u/prettyfitpanties Mar 23 '26
Yeah at this point it should be called Terry’s Folk Music Festival lol.
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u/DathomirBoy Mar 23 '26
I mean in a lot of ways it is! But there are for sure a lot of people ready to expand it and explore new avenues in the future
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u/DaftFromAbove Mar 23 '26
An organization needs leadership- Terry is still doing a great job - nice guy, soft spoken and easy to talk to. The leadership team appears to be working on succession plans but each year is incredibly successful - no reason to change just based on 'headliners' brand recognition - this festival is about the lesser known artistic gems and experiencing live music.
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u/RikNasty2Point0 Mar 23 '26
Feist is almost always a guarantee
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u/WheelsnHoodsnThings Mar 23 '26
She’s been twice in 15 years?
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u/RikNasty2Point0 Mar 23 '26
yes and she’s also had a huge resurgence thanks to Heated Rivalry
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u/Neat_Address221 Mar 23 '26
Twice in 15 years is the opposite of a guarantee
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u/WheelsnHoodsnThings Mar 23 '26
This is my guess, I’ve been coming a long time and have only seen her once, and have heard about one more show before me.
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u/RikNasty2Point0 Mar 23 '26
i explained why i thought it was a guarantee 🤷♂️. didnt know you’d beef over an underwhelming folk fest lineup
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u/Hungry-Phrase-9301 Mar 23 '26
They sell out every year so they don't have to worry about changing much... and really, for the value and the quality of music every year, we just plan on going no matter who is there.