One of my favourite annual summertime festivals is taking place July 18-20, this year it is the 48th Annual for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival returning to ʔəy̓alməxʷ Jericho Beach Park. Over three nights, the Festival’s Mainstage will be filled with twelve incredible solo artists and groups from across Canada and around the world.
“This year’s Mainstage lineup is nothing short of electric — a celebration of artistry, diversity, and the joy of shared experience,” says Vancouver Folk Music Festival Artistic Director Fiona Black. “We’re thrilled to welcome international trailblazers like The Zawose Queens from Tanzania and Bab L’ Bluz from Morocco, alongside Canadian icons like Elisapie, Ocie Elliott, and Haram — one of Vancouver’s most daring and dazzling musical collectives. From the soul-stirring power of Ruthie Foster to the dreamy folk harmonies of The Milk Carton Kids and the genre-melting brilliance of Shooglenifty, there’s something on that stage for everyone. And of course, On the Beach: Neil Young Reimagined continues our festival tradition bringing the community together in the most magical way.”
Opening the festival on Friday, July 18 are Vancouver’s own Haram, New Yorker Margaret Glaspy, Tio’tia:ke/Montreal’s Elisapie, and Tanzania’s The Zawose Queens. Take in a full day of music before the Mainstage acts take the stage on Saturday, July 19 which include Scotland’s Shooglenifty, On the Beach: Neil Young Reimagined featuring festival artists,B.C.’s Ocie Elliott, with Moroccan-French rock duo Bab L’ Bluz as the final evening’s performance. Celebrate the closing night of the festival on Sunday, July 20 withNorth Carolina’s Watchhouse, Texas’ Ruthie Foster, California’s The Milk Carton Kids, and UK’s The Heavy Heavy.
Friday, July 18
● Haram
Arabic music, from Iraqi folk to Egyptian radio music, lovingly reinterpreted by Vancouver’s most creative musicians. JUNO Awards-winner and Canadian oud virtuoso Gord Grdina leads a 10-piece powerhouse Arabic/avant-garde ensemble from our very own city that will knock your socks off! Using Arabic music from great composers like Farid Al-Atrache and Oum Khalsoum as a starting point, Haram’s music constantly shifts directions while building to euphoric crescendos. This cross-cultural, boundary-annihilating music will appeal equally to lovers of world, folk, jazz, avant-garde, and indie music – a brilliant mix of effortless cohesion and wild abandon. Haram is a Vancouver super-group of outstanding musicians, many of whom have played the festival in the past – on their own and in other contexts. Haram is Gordon Grdina, Emad Armoush, François Houle, Jesse Zubot, JP Carter, and Kenton Loewen.
One of indie rock’s most emotionally incisive songwriters, Margaret Glaspy is known for her raw, stripped-back sound. The New York singer-songwriter first got her start in music as a kid with Texas style fiddling, but once she started to sing she tossed the fiddle and found her voice writing songs. A rare talent, Glaspy’s most recent EP, The Sun Doesn’t Think (ATO Records) is a raw and resonant collection of five-songs that follows the critical success of her 2023 full-length album Echo The Diamond.
● Elisapie
Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie grew up in Salluit, a small village in Nunavik above Quebec. Now based in Tio’tia:ke or Montreal, she is part of the city’s vibrant folk and indie scene. Drawing heavily on her Northern culture in her art and activism, Elisapie is making it her mission to help revitalize the Inuktitut language. She creates deeply personal and highly expressive music that, at its core, reflects her commitment to preserving her homeland and Indigenous language. In 2024, Elisapie was recognized as the JUNO Awards’ Contemporary Indigenous Artist of the Year and Inuktitut picked up the Adult Alternative Album of the Year award at this year’s ceremony.
A dance-driven duo from Tanzania taking the traditional and turning it techno! Bringing a fresh take on their traditional music, The Zawose Queens are challenging a long-established form in vital ways by incorporating new influences and altering the role of women artists. The music of the Wagogo or Gogo people of central Tanzania is percussion-driven with gorgeous vocal polyphonies, featuring traditional instruments like thumb piano (illimba) that are often homemade. Pendo and Leah Zawose come from a dynasty of Gogo musicians and are showing generations – young and old – that women can be lead contributors in Gogo music.
Saturday, July 19
With their “acid croft” fusion of lively Celtic tunes with the driving beats of dub and electronica, Shooglenifty has been revitalizing Scottish folk music and filling dance floors for over 30 years. Originally formed in 1990 by musicians from the Scottish Highlands, Orkney Islands, and Edinburgh, this outfit has travelled the world, playing everywhere from small village community halls to huge festival stages. Their enticing mix of “hypno-folkedelic ambient trance” drives audiences to dance.
● On the Beach: Neil Young Reimagined
The reimagining of songs from classic albums is an annual festival highlight and Neil Young’s After the Gold Rush is the focus this year for a celebration of his music interpreted by a bumper crop of festival artists. Curated by Vancouver expat Steve Dawson and backed by the Hen House All-Stars, with artists including Krystle Dos Santos, Sue Foley, Margaret Glaspy, Rich Hope, Marcus Mosely, Marin Patenaude, Samantha Parton, Jane Siberry, and Julian Taylor – these musicians will show you another side of one of the greatest songwriters around. In addition to songs from After the Gold Rush, the performers will have some freedom to explore other favourites from Young’s expansive songbook.
Jon Middleton and Sierra Lundy are the Canadian folk duo Ocie Elliott from Victoria, B.C., praised for their warm, reflective soundand undeniable chemistry. Known for their intimate acoustic sound and heartfelt songwriting, the pair creates music that explores themes of love, longing, and human connection. Their gentle harmonies and stripped-down arrangements have struck a chord with listeners around the world, with songs featured in popular television series such as Grey’s Anatomy, Batwoman, and Sweet Magnolias. With a sound that feels both timeless and refreshingly honest, Ocie Elliott continues to carve out a unique space in modern folk music—one rooted in vulnerability, connection, and a shared sense of quiet wonder.
Bab L’ Bluz, a Moroccan-French rock duo, is on a mission to reclaim the blues for North Africa, upending tradition in the process. With a name that means “door of the blues”, Bab L’ Bluz is breaking boundaries around both gender and genre. Founded in Marrakesh in 2018 by singer Yousra Mansour and French multi-instrumentalist Brice Bottin, the band play electrified versions of ancient instruments like the North African guembri – a three-stringed bass-lute – to create potent, hypnotic music that blends in other influences including Algerian Chaabi, funk, American and desert blues.
Sunday, July 20
Watchhouse, the acclaimed North Carolina-based duo of Andrew Marlin and Emily Frantz began their journey over a decade ago, playing in coffee shops and restaurants across North Carolina and growing into a grassroots phenomenon pushing the boundaries of modern folk. The duo is on tour this summer supporting their new studio album Rituals. Known for their deeply emotive songwriting and tight-knit musical chemistry, Rituals marks their first collection of all-new, original material since their widely praised 2021 self-titled album. Rituals promises to be another moving chapter in their story, blending Marlin’s thoughtful lyrics with their signature blend of acoustic textures and heartfelt harmonies.
Soul, blues, gospel, and folk music all come together in one single powerhouse voice with this celebrated artist. Her extraordinary live performances blow audiences away with her captivating presence and spellbinding voice when she unleashes its power. After years of multiple Grammy nominations, in February Ruthie Foster won the award for Best Contemporary Blues Album for her recording Mileage. The record is a celebration of her career as a Black woman and LGBTQ+ artist and is a testament to the power of authenticity and resilience in music.
Blending folk, Americana, and bluegrass, the duo are known for intricate harmonies, acoustic guitar, and poetic lyrics. Since Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale formed The Milk Carton Kids in 2011, they have enjoyed a rapid ascension to the top of the indie folk world. Their 2013 record, Ash and Clay, received a Grammy Nomination for Best Folk Album, and they were nominated for Group of the Year in 2014 by the Americana Music Association. Altogether, they have recorded seven albums. Whether singing a hurting ballad about love gone wrong or expressing slow-burning outrage at the inequalities plaguing contemporary society, The Milk Carton Kids never forget their sense of humour.
and more.
Early Bird Single-Day Tickets are available to purchase now for Friday evening, and all-day Saturday and Sunday. Early Bird weekend passes are also available.
Adult Friday: $70 | Saturday or Sunday: $120
65 plus Friday: $55 | Saturday or Sunday: $100
Student/Youth Friday: $35 | Saturday or Sunday: $75
Children 12 and under FREE
Book tickets through the website or contact the Festival Box Office at 604.602.9798, ext. 302 between 10am and 4pm or boxoffice@thefestival.bc.ca. Buy early to get the best pricing and secure your spot at one of the city’s most iconic and inclusive summer events. Ticket prices are subject to taxes and fees.
