38th annual Edmonton Folk Fest focusing on fan comfort, good music

Setup is well underway at Gallagher Park ahead of this weekend’s Edmonton Folk Music Festival, where organizers hope changes will result in a better experience for festivalgoers.

Producer Terry Wickham said this year, this four-day festival is putting particular focus on shorter lineups: not just to get into the festival site in the river valley, but also for things like the beer tent.

“We’ve expanded the beer tent from 2,300 people to 3,500 people because it was taking people over an hour, at times, to get in last year and that’s not good,” Wickham said Wednesday morning.

“We’ve put a lot into patron comforts – you know, porta-potties, the whole lot. So I think people will notice that.”

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READ MORE: Edmonton Folk Fest fans line up for tickets to this summer’s festival: ‘We’ll probably move a good chunk of tickets’

The festival has been a summer mainstay for 38 years in Edmonton, and for 22 of those years it’s been a sellout. This year however, tickets are still available. Wickham said they are trying to cater to a new demographic by featuring more new artists and making more single day tickets available.

“We’ve had a real youth movement in the past few years and it’s paying off,” Wickham said.

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“You know, Edmonton is a much bigger town now so there’s a lot more competition with Rogers Place opening, and everybody’s feeling that a bit, but that’s good for the town.”

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The festival is a favourite for many Edmontonians.

“You know, when you do a festival it’s always the marriage between the music and the venue. We have a superb venue,” explained Wickham.

“It’s a very friendly festival. You know, people like John Prine and Mary Chapin Carpenter call it the best festival in the world. So we’re very pleased that Grammy award winners are saying that about us.”

This year’s lineup includes headliners Leon Bridges, City and Colour, Brandi Carlile and The Decemberists.

Other artists at this year’s folk festival include Solo, Lakou Mizik, Shakey Graves, Rhiannon Giddens, Ricky Scaggs & Kentucky Thunder, Foy Vance, La Santa Cecilia, Ashley Maclsacc & Cape Breton’s Finest, Amadou & Miriam, Shovels & Rope, and St. Paul & The Broken Bones.

READ MORE: 2017 Edmonton Folk Music Festival promises strong contingent of gospel and soul artists

As of Wednesday afternoon, Saturday tickets were sold out. There were limited tickets available for Sunday, while Thursday and Friday tickets were still available for adults, seniors and youth.

For more information on this year’s festival, visit the Edmonton Folk Music Festival’s website.