Winnipeg (Part 1): Happy Folk Fest!

Imagine you’re lying in the grass, the sun is shining in your face, the greatest people around you, and beautiful live music is playing in the background — that’s how I spend most of my time at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. It’s one of the biggest music festivals in town and has happened annually for more than 20 years.

The crew.

Therefore, it feels like it developed its own little culture. The most important pillars of it? Respect and positivity, which you can see in the smile of everyone you pass by.

Even though there are thousands of people on the festival grounds, I never felt like I needed to worry about leaving my things somewhere, or anything else. I rather felt like I was part of a big community of music lovers who wanted to enjoy a great time together. And a great nap. Because especially during the day, wherever you went, you could see people lying around on blankets or in hammocks napping with a happy smile on their face. It was great.

Under the Rainbow Parachute

However, when it got later, the crowd suddenly came to life. Towards the end of the day, when headliners like Milky Chance, Alan Doyle, Lord Huron or The Head and the Heart entered the stage, everyone was jumping and dancing and simply having fun.

I also had such a good time because I was staying with my friend Mya, who I met at UVic earlier this year and hadn’t seen since April. It felt very special to be able to see what her life a few provinces away is like and to meet her friends there. Especially because they turned out to be the coolest kids at the festival: They brought a 45ft rainbow parachute. It was so massive that you could easily fit 30 people under there plus a band playing a private concert. And that’s exactly what happened.

I want to thank everyone who was involved in making my first real festival experience so amazing. I hope I can return to Folk Fest one day.