Vancouver Folk Music Festival

The Vancouver Folk Music Festival (VFMF), founded in 1978, is an outdoor multistage music festival, located at Jericho Beach Park on the west side of Vancouver, British Columbia. It takes place annually on the third weekend of July, drawing over 30,000 attendees each year.[1][2]

Vancouver Folk Music Festival
Genrefolk, world, singer-songwriter, bluegrass, hip hop
Datesthird weekend of July
Location(s)Jericho Beach, Vancouver, BC, Canada
Years active1978–present
Websitethefestival.bc.ca

The festival has attracted artists from across the world, including Adam Cohen, Ani Difranco, Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger, Tuvan throat singers, Sarah Harmer, Veda Hille, Feist, K'naan, and Ferron, among many others.

History

edit

The Vancouver Folk Music Festival was founded in 1978 by Mitch Podolak and Colin Gorrie, who also helped establish the Winnipeg Folk Festival; Ernie Fladell and Franz Fitzgibbon, employees at the City of Vancouver's social planning department; and Gary Cristall, who coordinated the event.[3] The inaugural festival took place from August 11 through 13, 1978 in Stanley Park, and an estimated 10,000 people were in attendance.[4] Performers included Mary McCaslin and Jim Ringer, Odetta, Stan Rogers. Leon Redbone, Leon Bibb, and John Hammond.[5]

In 1979, the event was changed to take place the third weekend of July at Jericho Beach. Late in the year, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival Society was established as a non-profit organization and given control of future versions of the festival.[3] In early years, the organization operated a dedicated record label called Festival Records.[6]

Previous Lineups

edit

2023 Lineup

edit

The 46th annual festival was held July 14–16, 2023.[7]

2019 Lineup

edit

The 42nd annual festival was held July 19–21, 2019.[8][9]

  • Aerialists
  • Black String
  • Danny Boudreau Band
  • Basia Bulat
  • Matthew Byrne
  • Celeigh Cardinal
  • Andrew Collins Trio
  • Copperhead
  • The Dardanelles
  • Steve Dawson
  • Desirée Dawson Trio
  • Brother Tito Deler
  • Dwayne Dopsie & The Zydeco Hellraisers
  • Bobby Dove
  • Ramblin' Jack Elliott
  • Mike Farris & The Fortunate Few
  • Luca Fogale
  • Front Country
  • Amos Garrett & Julian Kerr
  • Raine Hamilton String Trio
  • The Hamiltones
  • David Hidalgo
  • Zaki Ibrahim
  • Illiteratty
  • Kirchen, Cox and McRae
  • Kitty And The Rooster
  • La Mexcalina
  • Joey Landreth
  • Larkin Poe
  • Le Vent du Nord
  • George Leach Band
  • Locarno
  • Lonesome Ace Stringband
  • Los Pachamama y Flor Amargo
  • Corb Lund
  • Don McGlashan
  • Pablo Mendéndez & Mezcla
  • Midnight Shine
  • Irish Mythen
  • Namgar
  • Oktopus
  • Marin Patenaude
  • The Rad Trads
  • Rebirth Brass Band
  • John Reishman And The Jaybirds
  • Riit
  • Sam Roberts Band
  • Pharis and Jason Romero
  • Lucy Rose
  • Rosie & the Riveters
  • Ruby & Smith
  • Sarah Shook & the Disarmers
  • Vivek Shraya/Too Attached
  • Son of James
  • Nano Stern Trio
  • Tal National
  • Emily Triggs
  • Tsatsu Stalqayu
  • Sunny War

2018 Lineup

edit

The 41st annual festival was held July 13–16, 2018.[10][9]

  • Art Bergmann
  • Wallis Bird
  • Mariel Buckley Band
  • Steph Cameron
  • Neko Case
  • Ry Cooder feat. the Hamilton's
  • Joachim Cooder
  • Rodney Crowell
  • Alex Cuba
  • DakhaBrakha
  • Dálava
  • Darlingside
  • Guy Davis
  • The Dead South
  • Las Estrellas de Vancouver
  • Mick Flannery
  • Dori Freeman
  • Gamelan Bike Bike
  • Ilaria Graziano e Francesco Forni
  • Gordon Grdina's Haram
  • Jimmy "Duck" Holmes
  • Iskwé
  • Kacy & Clayton
  • Martin Kerr
  • Ezra Kwizera
  • Grant Lawrence and Friends
  • Little Miss Higgins
  • John Lowell Band
  • A Familia Machado
  • James McMurtry
  • Mike Munson
  • Murfitt and Main
  • Dawn Pemberton
  • Petunia and the Vipers
  • Carole Pope
  • Les Poules a Colin
  • Professor Banjo & Estro Jennies
  • Quantum Tangle
  • Ranky Tanky
  • Steve Riley & Mamou Playboys
  • Archie Roach
  • Small Glories
  • Son de Madera
  • Jayme Stone's Folklife
  • Leonard Sumner
  • Three Women and the Truth
  • Viper Central
  • Skye Wallace
  • Wazimbo and Banda Kakana
  • Donovan Woods

2017 Lineup

edit

The 40th annual festival was held July 13–16, 2017.[11][12]

  • C.R. Avery
  • Bahamas
  • Barenaked Ladies
  • Blick Bassy
  • Begonia
  • Belle Game
  • Blind Pilot
  • Bob Bossin
  • Billy Bragg & Joe Henry
  • Jim Bryson
  • Jim Byrnes
  • Choir! Choir! Choir!
  • Chouk Bwa Libète
  • Cold Specks
  • Shawn Colvin
  • Delgres
  • Cris Derksen
  • Alpha Yaya Diallo
  • Kathleen Edwards
  • Ellika Solo Rafael
  • Ramy Essam
  • Ferron & her All Star Band
  • Roy Forbes
  • The Funk Hunters
  • Rhiannon Giddens
  • Ganga Giri
  • Noah Gundersen
  • Hillsburn
  • Matt Holubowski
  • ILAM
  • Emmanuel Jal
  • Eilen Jewell
  • Jonah Blacksmith
  • Si Kahn
  • Korrontzi
  • Jim Kweskin & Meredith Axelrod
  • The Mae Trio
  • Mbongwana Star
  • Paul McKenna
  • Mélisande
  • Tift Merritt
  • Katie Moore and Andrew Horton
  • Jake Morley
  • Native North America: A Gathering of Indigenous Trailblazers
  • Nive Nielsen & The Deer Children
  • Aoife O'Donovan & Noam Pikelny
  • Grace Petrie
  • Leonard Podolak
  • The Revivalists
  • Archie Roach
  • Nell Robinson & Jim Nunally Band
  • RURA
  • Clinton & Lorna St. John
  • John K. Samson & The Winter Wheat
  • La Santa Cecilia
  • Andy Shauf
  • Nick Sherman
  • Gabrielle Shonk
  • Sidestepper
  • The Slocan Ramblers
  • The Sojourners
  • Tomato Tomato
  • True Blues feat. Corey Harris & Alvin Youngblood Hart
  • Will Varley
  • Leif Vollebekk
  • Luke Wallace
  • Wesli

2016 Lineup

edit

The 39th annual festival was held July 15–17, 2016.

  • Jojo Abot
  • Ajinai
  • Elida Almeida
  • The Americans
  • Faris Amine
  • Geoff Berner
  • The Bills
  • Birds of Chicago
  • Hayes Carll
  • Martin and Eliza Carthy
  • Bruce Cockburn
  • The Crooked Brothers
  • Élage Diouf
  • Mike Edel
  • Emilie and Ogden
  • Lee Fields and the Expressions
  • Dominique Fricot
  • Martin Harley
  • The Harpoonist & the Axe Murderer
  • Les Hay Babies
  • Jolie Holland and Samantha Parton
  • I Draw Slow
  • Hubby Jenkins
  • Kaumakaiwa Kanaka‘ole with Shawn Pimental
  • Shane Koyczan and The Short Story Long
  • Lakou Mizik
  • Land of Talk
  • Lisa LeBlanc
  • Leftover Salmon
  • Terra Lightfoot
  • Little Scream
  • Lord Huron
  • Betsayda Machado y La Parranda el Clavo
  • Mandolin Orange
  • Mexican Institute of Sound
  • Moulettes
  • Nahko and Medicine for People
  • Flávia Nascimento
  • The New Pornographers
  • Les Noces Gitanes
  • Cian Nugent
  • Lisa O'Neill
  • Oh Pep!
  • Oysterband
  • Chris Pureka
  • The Ragpicker String Band
  • Karim Saada
  • San Fermin
  • Sarah Jane Scouten
  • Ten Strings and a Goat Skin
  • Trad.Attack!
  • Twin Bandit
  • Henry Wagons
  • The Wainwright Sisters
  • M Ward
  • Lucy Ward
  • The Weather Station
  • Yemen Blues with Ravid Kahalani
  • The Young’uns

2015 Lineup

edit

The 38th annual festival was held July 17–19, 2015.

2014 Lineup

edit

The 37th annual festival was held July 18–20, 2014.

2013 Lineup

edit

The 36th annual festival was held July 19–21, 2013.

2012 Lineup

edit

The 35th annual festival was held July 13–15, 2012.

2011 Lineup

edit

The 34th annual festival was held July 15–17, 2011.

2010 Lineup

edit

The 33rd annual festival was held July 16–18, 2010. Artists included:

2009 Lineup

edit

The 32nd annual festival was held on July 17–19, 2009.

2008 Lineup

edit

The 31st annual festival was held from July 18–20, 2008. Artists included:

2007 Lineup

edit

The 30th annual festival was held from July 13–15, 2007.

2006 Lineup

edit

The 29th annual VFMF was held from July 14–16, 2006.

1978 Lineup

edit

The 1st annual festival was held August 11–13, 1978.[14]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Here's why you should check out Vancouver's most iconic music festival". Vancouver Is Awesome. April 5, 2024. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  2. ^ Zeidler, Maryse (July 15, 2017). "'Still the same park, still the same feeling': 40 years of the Vancouver folk festival". CBC. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Vancouver Folk Music Festival". www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  4. ^ "Archives: Vancouver Folk Festival debuts in Stanley Park". Vancouver Is Awesome. July 16, 2014. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  5. ^ "History of the Festival". Vancouver Folk Music Festival. 2002. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  6. ^ "Vancouver Folk Music Festival". Stir. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
  7. ^ "Vancouver Folk Music Festival announces 2023 lineup". The Georgia Straight. May 11, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  8. ^ "Here's the official lineup for the 2019 Vancouver Folk Music Festival | Curated". dailyhive.com. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  9. ^ a b "2019 Artists". Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  10. ^ "Vancouver Folk Music Festival announces this year's lineup". Richmond News. May 5, 2018. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  11. ^ "2017 Vancouver Folk Music Festival". CBC. June 29, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  12. ^ "2017 Artists". Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
  13. ^ "Who's coming this summer". Vancouver Folk Music Festival. 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2008. [dead link]
  14. ^ "1978 Artists". Vancouver Folk Music Festival. Retrieved April 7, 2024.
edit

49°16′19″N 123°11′31″W / 49.272°N 123.192°W / 49.272; -123.192