More rain than usual has forced organizers at the Edmonton Folk Music Festival to make some changes.
The changes cost the festival an extra $20,000. The money will be spent on rig mats and sand being used to dry the area.
“We’ve had wet weather before,” said Terry Wickham, a producer at the Folk Fest.
“Last year, we got it during the festival, but I’d much rather have it in advance.”
READ MORE: Summer festivals and events for Edmontonians to experience in 2019
However, this isn’t the first time that weather has affected the festival. In 2017, the event was evacuated due to heavy winds after a video screen had been knocked down.
Despite watching the weather, organizers are recommending people bring tarps to combat the wet conditions and say they can be used as cover in rainy conditions.
Unlike Taste of Edmonton and K-Days this year, Folk Fest will not allow alcohol outside of licensed areas this year, but is looking to find a way to loosen its alcohol policy, potentially as early as next year.
READ MORE: Edmonton festivals ditch beer gardens and loosen restrictions on where alcohol can be consumed
Watch below: (From July 21, 2019) K-Days and Taste of Edmonton have said goodbye to beer gardens and have changed their liquor rules to allow patrons to wander around with their drinks, Sarah Komadina has more.
Wickham speculates it’s a cultural thing: having an area for people to drink beer and catch up, and another area for people at the festival who are watching the artists.
Folk Fest runs from Thursday, Aug. 8 to Sunday, Aug. 11 at Gallagher Park.
READ MORE: John Prine bows out of Edmonton Folk Music Festival due to health
Watch below: (From May 29, 2019) The full list of performers for the 40th annual Edmonton Folk Fest was released Wednesday.
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