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Compiled by the Road Trip Manitoba team
Last updated on April 27, 2024
One of our favourite festivals in Winnipeg – and one of our favourite things to do in Manitoba, period – is the Winnipeg Folk Festival, which is a must-do every year. With amazing musical lineups, a beautiful setting, and an overwhelming sense of community, Winnipeg Folk Fest is both incredibly inclusive and fun. With entertainment spread out over four days, there are fantastic concerts both day and night, all culminating in a headliner show on Sunday night. It’s known as one of the best folk festivals in the world, and we’re so proud that it’s right here in Manitoba.
As such big fans of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, we attend every year. With that in mind, we wanted to write a complete guide to the festival, including where to go, what to expect, and more. Definitely make sure to download the Winnipeg Folk Fest app before you arrive, as that’s a great place to find a site map, schedules, artist bios, and more (available on Apple’s App Store or Google Play).
Without further ado, here is your complete guide for visiting the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
A Complete Guide for Visiting the Winnipeg Folk Festival
History
The first Winnipeg folk festival was held from August 9th to 11th, 1974, and it has only grown in size and popularity in the last 50 years! Started by Mitch Podolak, Colin Gorrie, and Ava Kobrinsky as a celebration of Winnipeg’s centennial, the festival now features over 75 performers from around the world (although there’s still a huge emphasis on local artists, too). Since day one, the Winnipeg Folk Fest has relied heavily on the amazing work of volunteers, and you’ll see a lot of volunteers onsite.
Now exceeding 70,000 attendees every year, the festival has a tendency to sell out. The kind of music you can expect at Winnipeg Folk Fest includes folk, folk rock, Americana, roots, bluegrass, French Canadian, indie folk, singer-songwriters, Indigenous, blues, Celtic, cultural, children’s music, and so much more.
Much more than just a festival, Winnipeg Folk Fest is a year-round nonprofit arts organization with folk music at its heart. Throughout the year, the organization presents dozens of concerts and events and places a large emphasis on supporting the local community through outreach programs.
Where is the Winnipeg Folk Festival?
Winnipeg Folk Festival is held in Birds Hill Provincial Park, approximately 30 kilometres northeast of downtown Winnipeg, and entry is through either the West or East gates of the park. Once you enter the park, there will be many volunteers and/or signs to guide you in the right direction.
How to Get to the Winnipeg Folk Festival
There are a few ways to get there!
“Folk Fest Express” service buses travel from downtown Winnipeg (stopping at Northbound Memorial between St. Mary and Portage) to Festival Drive in Birds Hill Provincial Park. These Winnipeg Transit buses are accessible and run every half hour.
If you are driving to Winnipeg Folk Fest, the first thing to note is that you must have a Manitoba Provincial Park Pass to enter and park at the festival. You can choose from one-day, three-day, or annual passes (purchase one here). You must print and then display the pass on your dashboard for the entire duration of your time at the festival. If you plan on travelling around Manitoba a lot in the year, an annual pass is a handy thing to have.
The route to Folk Fest from Winnipeg is very straightforward.
To get to the West Gate, take Highway 59 northeast of Winnipeg until you see signs for Birds Hill Park (do not confuse this with Birds Hill Road). To get to the East Gate, you can take a few options to get to Highway 206, which will lead you directly to Festival Drive; Dugald Road is a popular option from Winnipeg, as is Garven Road.
We prefer going to the East Gate, as it requires less navigating through Birds Hill Park to find the festival.
There are also often ridesharing opportunities posted online closer to the festival. Go Manitoba is one such carpooling app that helps people find rides to and from Winnipeg Folk Fest.
If you’re feeling extra adventurous, why not bike to Winnipeg Folk Fest? The bike ride takes approximately two hours from downtown Winnipeg, and there is a bike trail along the way. There are also many onsite bike racks at the festival (bicycles are not allowed past the main gate, but are allowed in the campgrounds).
Parking
Thankfully, parking is very straightforward at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. As mentioned above, you must have a Provincial Park Pass displayed on your vehicle’s dashboard at all times. There is no overnight parking (except for campers in the camping parking lot).
Winnipeg Folk Festival has two parking lots: Festival West Parking (accessible from Highway 59) and Festival East Parking (accessible from Route 206). They have separate entrances and exits. Volunteers will help you at each step of the parking process, including directing you into the parking lot and directing you into a lane to find a spot. There is no additional fee for parking. In our experience, it can be up to a ten minute walk from your car to the main gate of the festival. And of course, make sure to remember which lane you’re parked in… nobody likes to wander around aimlessly looking for their car after a day at the festival!
Unfortunately, there aren’t any charging stations available for electric cars.
When is Winnipeg Folk Festival?
The festival is held over four days and nights during the second weekend of July every year. This year, the Winnipeg Folk Festival runs from July 11 to 14, 2024.
How do you buy tickets for Winnipeg Folk Festival?
Tickets must be purchased before making your way to the festival itself, as tickets are not available for purchase onsite. You can buy tickets (for both the festival and camping) directly from the Winnipeg Folk Festival site; the prices are based on a tier system, so the earlier you buy your ticket, the cheaper it will be. You can also buy tickets in person at the main Folk Fest office located at 203 – 211 Bannatyne.
Single-day tickets are available, but you must choose the day you’ll be attending when purchasing your ticket. Tickets cannot be exchanged for a different day.
You can purchase up to four tickets per person.
How much do Winnipeg Folk Festival tickets cost?
When purchasing tickets for the Winnipeg Folk Festival, consider a few factors, including how many days you’ll be attending and whether or not you’ll be camping. Different prices are offered for different age groups, and the festival has a tiered system. Remember: tickets are not available at the festival itself; you must buy your tickets before arriving.
If you are only planning to go for one day (Friday, Saturday, or Sunday), an adult ticket is $115 while a youth/senior ticket is $92. The exception to that is a Thursday ticket; for that day, an adult ticket is $90, while a youth/senior ticket is $72.
2024 Winnipeg Folk Festival Ticket Prices – Tier Pricing
Currently, tickets are being sold for Tier 2, the second-cheapest set of tickets. Once those sell out, the prices will switch to Tier 3. In other words, it is cheaper to buy your tickets as far in advance as possible.
| Tier 1 | Tier 2 | Tier 3 | |
| Adult (4-day ticket) | $258 festival only $343 festival camping $303 quiet camping | $288 festival only $373 festival camping $333 quiet camping | $310 festival only $395 festival camping $355 quiet camping |
| Senior 4-day ticket | $188 festival only $273 with festival camping $233 quiet camping | $206 festival only $291 festival camping $251 quiet camping | $218 festival only $303 festival camping $263 quiet camping |
| Youth 4-day ticket | $188 festival only $273 with festival camping $233 quiet camping | $206 festival only $291 festival camping $251 quiet camping | $218 festival only $303 festival camping $263 quiet camping |
*Children under the age of 12 are always free
If you are camping with an RV or Trailer, you must purchase a permit for $40 in addition to your camping ticket.
Finally, there are no refunds or exchanges available on tickets.
What can you do at Winnipeg Folk Festival?
Winnipeg Folk Fest is so much more than just your average music festival! There’s lots to see and do at the festival. It’s important to note that the festival site is quite large, with many different stages, areas, and tents, so you could easily spend hours just walking around the site. If you’re fairly new to the festival, we recommend planning for a couple of hours to walk around and explore, taking it all in.
Listen to music
While we love many aspects about the Winnipeg Folk Festival, the music definitely draws us year after year! The level of talent on display every year is phenomenal, and the setting itself is magical; picture listening to a beautiful folk ballad as you sit in the grass in the woods, or hearing your new favourite musician sing their heart out under the pink prairie skies. The lineup is always fantastic, and 2024 will be no exception.
Make sure to wander around and check out all of the stages, as there are nine of them in total; while the headliners are always fun to see, the smaller stages host tons of wonderful artists, too. We recommend getting to the performance you want to see as early as possible, as seats near the front fill up quickly (and for those interested, there’s the “tarp shuffle” every day for the main stage; you can ask a volunteer for more info).
Want to dance along? Dancing is always welcome, but it is encouraged to do so at the side of the seating areas so that everyone can still see! There is also a designated dancing area for the main stage.
Discover
One of the coolest aspects of Winnipeg Folk Fest is the daytime workshops. Experience these one-of-a-kind sessions where multiple artists will jam together, usually for the first time. This is often where the music magic happens, so don’t miss out.
Shop
Yes, there is shopping at Winnipeg Folk Fest! The Hand-Made Village is filled with over 50 makers and artisans from around Canada, selling everything from jewellery to clothing to candles and more. There is also Folk Fest merchandise for sale.
Eat
We’ve written more on eating below, but there are tons of great local food vendors onsite at Winnipeg Folk Fest every year! No need to worry about bringing snacks or meals (although you can if you want, of course).
Drink
Head to the Main Tavern or the Little Brown Jug Tavern to cool down with a beer, cider, wine, or cooler.
Play
The Family Area is perfect for those attending Winnipeg Folk Fest with kids. In this alcohol-free zone, you’ll find games, crafts, reading, face-painting, puppetry and more, as well as live children’s music and entertainment.
Camp
For many people, a big part of Winnipeg Folk Festival is camping. There are two campgrounds to choose from: the Festival Campground and the Quiet Campground. We’ve outlined a bit more about camping at Winnipeg Folk Fest below.
Volunteer
Want to volunteer at Winnipeg Folk Fest? It’s a great way to get involved! The cut-off date for applying to be a volunteer for 2024 was December 15th, 2023. Keep your eyes out for 2025!
Which bands are playing at Winnipeg Folk Festival?
With past performers including the likes of Joan Baez, Emmylou Harris, Vance Joy, Kacey Musgraves, Sheryl Crow, A Tribe Called Red, Brandi Carlile, Japanese Breakfast, Lord Huron, Blue Rodeo, Gregory Alan Isakov, Wilco, and Arlo Guthrie, you know it’s going to be an amazing lineup no matter what.
In 2024, performers include Lucinda Williams, Mt. Joy, Orville Peck, Band of Horses, The Tallest Man on Earth, Joy Oladokun, Shakey Graves, Grace Potter, Noah Cyrus, The War and Treaty, Bonny Light Horseman, and many, many more.
Camping at Winnipeg Folk Festival
A huge aspect of attending the Winnipeg Folk Festival is the opportunity to camp. If you love the camaraderie of festival camping, you’ll love the atmosphere here. There’s also the choice between festival camping and quiet camping, which we’ve explained below. Note that you must have a camping wristband to enter the campgrounds; those who have a regular festival ticket cannot enter the camping areas under any circumstances.
If you choose to camp at Winnipeg Folk Fest, you will have to buy the appropriate ticket. In general, camping at the festival costs approximately $50 to $90 more overall than what you’d pay if you weren’t camping. If you will be bringing an RV or trailer, you must purchase a permit, which is an additional $40. There is a special parking lot where you’ll leave your vehicle for the duration of your stay. Keep in mind you can also camp at the Birds Hill Provincial Park Campground which is separate from the festival; it’s one of our favourite campgrounds in Manitoba, and you can book it through Parks Canada.
If you are tenting, the maximum tent size is 10’ x 20’ and the maximum tent peg length is 12”.
What is the difference between festival camping and quiet camping at Winnipeg Folk Fest?
There are two options for camping at Winnipeg Folk Festival: festival camping and quiet camping. Those with festival campground wristbands cannot enter the quiet campground area, and vice versa. In both areas, you’ll need everything you’d need when camping anywhere: a tent, sleeping bags, changes of clothing, toiletries, etc.
In the festival campground, you’ll find amenities such as an area for food vendors, a campground store, first aid, water taps, cold showers, washrooms, accessible camping, a garbage and recycling depot, and a bus service to the festival site. Festival camping is much closer to the festival site, so many people choose to walk to and from the campground. The festival campground accommodates around 6,000 people every year.
In the quiet campground, you’ll find amenities such as serviced picnic shelters, modern washrooms, safety services, and a bus service to the festival site. The quiet campground is a bit further away from the festival site (4km) and it is your best option if you are looking for a quiet night’s sleep. It’s more popular with families.
Both campgrounds have tenting sites as well as RV/trailer camping.
Can you bring kids to Winnipeg Folk Festival?
Yes! Winnipeg Folk Festival is a family-friendly event, and there are lots of activities designed specifically with children in mind, including a children’s tent, face painting, storytime, and more. During the day, you will see lots of children at the festival.
Can you bring dogs to Winnipeg Folk Festival?
No, dogs are not allowed at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. However, service animals are welcome.
What should I wear to Winnipeg Folk Festival?
Whatever you want! As mentioned, the Winnipeg Folk Festival is a very open and inclusive space. Dress in whatever clothing will make you feel most comfortable. The majority of people who attend the Winnipeg Folk Festival dress in loose, comfortable summer clothing, as you’ll spend a lot of time walking around and/or sitting on the ground. Comfortable shoes are a must.
We also recommend bringing a hat and sunglasses to protect you from the summer sun, and, depending on the weather that week, a warmer layer for the evening and/or rain gear and boots if it’s going to rain. Typically, however, the Winnipeg Folk Festival tends to fall on a very warm weekend, so make sure to dress for the heat!
What should I bring to Winnipeg Folk Festival?
We recommend packing as light as possible for the festival, as you’ll have to carry everything with you for the day. We always bring a small backpack that includes a water bottle (there are refilling stations throughout the site), phone, portable phone charger, snacks, sunscreen, bug spray, and wallet (both cash and card are accepted throughout the site), as well as anything else you think you might need or want for the day.
You can also bring a chair or tarp/blanket to sit on if you don’t want to sit on the grass. Chairs no taller than two feet and 8’x10’ tarps are welcome in the seating area. Wheelchairs and chairs taller than two feet should go to the left of the central seating areas.
Is there food at Winnipeg Folk Festival?
Yes, there are lots of wonderful local food vendors at the Winnipeg Folk Festival! Once you enter through the Main Gate, a short walk will take you to the Folk Fest Food Village. You’ll find choices such as pizza, sandwiches, burritos, desserts, and more, including tons of sustainable and healthy options. You’ll also find a couple of liquor tents around the festival. This is the only place to buy alcohol.
There is also food available to buy in the Festival Campground.
Accessibility
There are many ways that the Winnipeg Folk Festival aims to make sure that the festival is as accessible and as inclusive as possible. While the festival is completely outdoors, the landscape is relatively flat and the paths leading to the public areas are wide and without steps or barriers. There is also an accessible seating area available at the Main Stage and a low counter at the Main Gate box office.
If needed, you can apply for an Accessibility Pass. Free admission is available for support persons helping someone with a disability to attend the Winnipeg Folk Festival through an Accessibility Pass.
Other accessibility features include accessible parking, wheelchair-accessible porta-potties at each bank of porta-potties, wheelchair charging stations, sign language interpretation at certain stages, large print schedules available online, and more.
Service animals are also welcome.
Anything else to know about Winnipeg Folk Fest?
There are over 150 porta-potties that are always well-stocked with toilet paper.
While there are ATMs at the festival, you are able to pay with credit or debit cards at nearly every vendor onsite.
There is no wifi at Winnipeg Folk Festival, so ensure your data plan covers you for online access and communication while you’re there!
Brenna Holeman (she/her) has adventured to over 100 countries but is incredibly proud to call Winnipeg home. Brenna spent 16 years travelling solo around the world, living in Copenhagen, Edinburgh, Osaka, Antigua, and London, England. Once a writer and editor for Expedia UK, she is a co-founder of Road Trip Manitoba and also runs This Battered Suitcase, one of the most trusted and respected travel blogs in the world.
