It’s the world’s largest, and longest running multi-cultural festival, right here in Winnipeg. Folklorama kicks off on Sunday. It’s a great chance to learn more about the city’s many diverse groups, says Executive Director Debra Zoerb.
“This is the food they eat, the songs they sing, the stories they tell. Folkorama is a chance to share it with everyone else.”
The event is largely volunteer driven with 20,000 people lending their time to the festival. Zoerb says the amount of work the volunteers do goes beyond just the two weeks of the festival itself.
“The biggest thing that amazes me and humbles me every single year is that commitment of the volunteers, all of the work they put in, all year long. It’s not just the week they open the doors of the pavilions.” explains Zoerb.
Last year Folklorma pavilions had over 420,000 visits, Zoerb estimates this years numbers could even go beyond that.
There are 41 pavilions in total, 20 of which open this weekend. Admission is six dollars for adults, and kids 12 and under are free. New this year, you can buy advanced tickets online for some pavilions. You can check out their website at folklorama.ca for all the details.