NOTE: The location for this Folk Festival has changed to Westerner Park; it is no longer being held at Capstone.
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The inaugural Red Deer Folk Festival is coming to Westerner Park Aug. 30 & 31.
Put on by Jesse Roads and GMK Events Management, the festival is currently slated to run 2-10 p.m. each day, with more than 20 scheduled performers.
Roads says a folk festival has been something he’s had in his back pocket for years, pre-dating the COVID-19 pandemic, which delayed it even longer.
“I’ve sat on several festival boards over the last decade, and you kind of sit back watching it all happen, and whether it’s just outside of town or an hour away, you just think, ‘Why not in Red Deer?” he says.
“We have a big enough population, we’ve got the talent here; we’ve got such a cool hub here, so why not have something epic that celebrates the community as a whole?”
And in divided times, music is often the things which brings people together.
“It’s actually incredible how many local singer-songwriters exist here. Most of us are donating our time to perform and do it, and that is how we’re keeping it free for the community this first year. We’ve got a couple really awesome headliners and cool sponsors [too].”
The Red Deer Folk Festival goes rain or shine, and attendees are encouraged to bring items like camping chairs and ponchos.
There will be a myriad of food options on site.
There’s also merch at reddeerfolkfest.com, and there’ll be more on-site. You can also express interest at that website if you’re interested in being a vendor or performing.
