The Winnipeg Folk Festival turned 50 this year, and the province celebrated with more than just music. The golden anniversary brought on shiny new highway signs, over $1 million in park upgrades and nearly 80,000 people in attendance.
The four-day celebration, which ran from July 10 to 13, outdid previous attendance records with 79,000 total festivalgoers. There was a mix of attendees, volunteers, artists and donors. The full sell-out included weekend passes, camping tickets, and individual day passes for the busy Friday and Saturday lineups. In short, Folk Fest was the hottest (and maybe smokiest) ticket in town.
The milestone did not just mean bigger crowds. This year, the Manitoban government contributed to the festival, announcing over $1.1 million in upgrades to Birds Hill Provincial Park, the long-time home of the festival. The funding was put toward planting new trees, improved campground roads, renovated washrooms in the group-use areas and new sewer systems. A recently completed water treatment plant was also part of the upgrade plan.
“Winnipeg Folk Festival is one of Canada’s premier outdoor music festivals and part of the reason for this success is the hundreds of volunteers that return year after year,” said Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor.
To top it off, the province also made a symbolic gesture by officially naming a stretch of Provincial Trunk Highway 59 “Winnipeg Folk Fest Volunteer Way.” It is a tribute to the hundreds of volunteers who return every summer to help with everything from stage operations to safety patrols.
“Seeing our volunteers acknowledged this way, on the eve of our 50th festival, honours the heart and energy they bring to the festival each year. They create the community and culture that draws people to our event. Without their dedication, there is no Winnipeg Folk Festival,” said Valerie Shantz, executive director at the Winnipeg Folk Festival.
“These commemorative signs are just a small way that our government is acknowledging the legacy of this festival and the importance of arts and culture in Manitoba,” said Naylor.
The festival had a classic lineup, with the opening night kicking off with Winnipeg-born and Folk Fest staple Fred Penner. Additional lineups featured big-name acts like Lake Street Dive, Jason Isbell, Mavis Staples, Peach Pit and local legend Bruce Cockburn, who even walked away with a key to the city.
This year also marked the launch of a storytelling series, supported by government funding, designed to capture and share the stories that have shaped Folk Fest over the past five decades. Between the music, memories and upgrades, the festival seemed to be setting the stage for another 50 years of sunshine, mud and music in the meadow.
Mark your calendars, the Winnipeg Folk Festival will return to Birds Hill Park from July 9 to 12, 2026.
