A Manitoba music festival is dealing with pandemic woes with a novel drive-in approach.
The Whoop and Hollar Folk Festival — a play on its usual location near Portage la Prairie’s Hoop and Holler Bend — is holding its annual event on Friday and Saturday, but its new drive-in format ensures concertgoers will stay socially distanced, even if they don’t have to stay in their vehicles.
“It’s normally like any other folk festival or music festival: you have a gathering of people and musicians and volunteers all come together for the joy of music, nature, community, and spirit,” coordinator Linda Omichinski told 680 CJOB.
“This year, we need to be physically distanced and we need to abide by COVID protocols.”
The format involves each attendee purchasing a ‘pod’ of 400 square feet, in which they can park, get out and have a picnic, dance, or whatever they want — so long as they stay in their own pods.
We can’t have it in our original location so we are having it at the fairground in Portage la Prairie, which borders Crescent Lake,” said Omichinski.
“We’ve reduced the number of vehicles we’ve accommodated from 70 to 50. It improves sight lines as well for visibility of the performers on stage.”
The event, which is a first-come, first-served setup — aside from larger trucks, SUVs and vans, which will be moved to the edges of the fairground due to sight line issues — features live performances from the likes of Red Moon Road, House Handshake, Andrina Turenne, The Reverend Rambler, and Rhonda Head.
Omichinski said there will be no vendors on site, to avoid congregations of people, so attendees are encouraged to bring their own picnics.
Tickets for the festival, which begins Friday evening, are available at whoopandhollar.com