Gallagher Park is gearing up for the Edmonton Folk Music Festival starting on August 8. You won’t want to miss this year’s festival if you’re a folk music fan.
Festival producer Terry Wickham announced that there will be 64 performances throughout the four-day event, including opening and closing acts from Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
Plant and Krauss are performing together as part of their tour until September. The talented duo are known for making waves with their duet album, Raising Sand.
In 2009, the album won all five awards nominated for at the 51st Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Best Contemporary Folk Album.
Plant’s singing style has changed dramatically from when he was the lead singer and lyricist for Led Zeppelin.
Once the greatest voice in rock known for his raw and powerful voice, Plant’s current style can be defined as warm and gentle.
Krauss has a voice like silk and complements Plant like a fine wine does a steak. If performances from Plant and Krauss weren’t enough, there’s plenty more in store for attendees.
Festivalgoers can expect performances from Jason Romero, Blue Rodeo, Rose Cousins, Ben Howard, Black Pumas, Robert Finley, Good Lovelies, and many more artists.
Tickets are on sale now on the festival website where you can purchase four-day personal passes or single tickets. However, single tickets for Saturday and Sunday are no longer available.
Four-day passes are on sale for $117 for youth ages 12 to 17, $189 for adults 18 to 24, $234 for adults 25 to 64, and $179 for seniors 65 to 79. Children under 11 and seniors 80 or older get in free.
Big Festival, Small Impact
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is a popular event, drawing in over 20,000 people per day during the festival.
The festival puts a lot of effort into minimizing its environmental footprint, such as providing a bike-lock-up service that encourages attendees to take their bikes to the festival rather than drive.
Youth volunteers make up the festival’s EnviroPower group and pick up any garbage they find during the festival.
The festival is also monitored by the Site Environment crew, which monitors the park during the day and evenings.
The crew also collects recyclable items to minimize how much recyclables are in the landfill. Since 2001, the festival has composted all organic waste.
In 2020, the festival took it a step further by partnering with Green Economy Canada and joining Edmonton’s corporate climate leadership program to identify ways the festival can reduce its carbon pollution.
In 2023, the festival announced it was ending its reusable plate program in favour of compostable plates and stopped selling plastic water bottles.
Previously, the festival used a borrowing system where attendees could pay an extra $2 for their meal to be served on a reusable plate.
After returning the plate, they would get their money back. However, the water and energy required to clean the plates became unsustainable.
The festival’s vendors sell aluminum water bottles and canned drinks instead, but water refill stations are available for people who bring reusable bottles.
This year’s festival is shaping up to be a good time, but festivalgoers are responsible for picking up after themselves and keeping the park clean.
Edmonton is one of the greenest cities in Canada.
The Edmonton Folk Festival is revered by artists and fans alike as one of the best outdoor festivals of the year. This year’s lineup may be the best in the concert’s 44-year history.
