CANMORE – It is that time of year again.
Spring is in the air, and with it comes the anticipation of another Canmore Folk Festival, running from Aug. 5-7.
The announcement may have come on April Fool’s Day but the festival is no joke for organizers or fans.
This year, Serena Ryder will be headlining the Saturday night festivities. Ryder has released eight studio albums since 1999 and won 12 Juno Awards in her career.
“Serena Ryder is going to be in a duo format,” said Sue Panning, artistic director of the Canmore Folk Festival. “It is going to be an intimate concert where you can focus on her three-octave vocal range.”
This will be Ryder’s first time at the festival.
Joining Ryder will be joined by other major folk artists such as Allison Russel, Richard Thompson, Suzie Vinnick and The McDades.
“[Russell] has been with the festival before. She is now based down in Nashville,” Panning said. “It is really cool to have her up here. I am very excited.”
One of the biggest names coming to the festival will be folk legend Richard Thompson.
“He is an iconic songwriter and guitar player,” said Panning. “He has been written up as the finest songwriter after Dylan. He was named by Rolling Stone magazine as one of the top 20 guitarists of all time.”
The folk festival was first held in 1978, and now welcomes 21,000 fans annually from across Alberta, Western Canada and even the United States.
“It is always an eclectic mix that falls under the folk umbrella,” said Panning. “We have everything from traditional, contemporary, indie folk, blues, to singer-songwriters, Celtic, world music, even jazz.”
This will be the festival’s second year running as normal after the COVID-19 lockdowns, but organizers will still be watching to see if they need to make any changes.
“Things are getting close to normal,” Panning said. “We are watching the news and Alberta Health to see if there are things we have to do to adjust going forward. We will be following all the provincial and municipal rules that may be out there at the time.”
Weekend passes are on sale now, and day passes are on sale May 1. That will also be when the evening concert line-up will be released. For more information, visit: www.canmorefolkfestival.com.
