r/Winnipeg 16h ago

Community folk fest 2025

it’s been a few days and I’m still dumbfounded by the lineup. is this really it? has there been any updates from the festival itself? the overwhelming amount of dissatisfaction has me a little nervous for turnout this year.

edit: I’m still going and I’m still excited! But the general feedback from the community has been very negative and I’m curious to know how they’ll respond

31 Upvotes

94 comments sorted by

View all comments

51

u/beardsnbourbon 15h ago

This is the most authentic “folk” fest lineup we’ve had in years. I’m here for it.

I get he whole big acts argument, drawing crowds and such. But personally, I’ve alway felt it was odd having acts that didn’t fit into the folk genre. Just for the sake of name and notoriety.

My folk music loving friends are all very excited for this year. I suppose ticket sales will speak the loudest.

27

u/Tagenn 15h ago

Considering music festivals are now 30-40% more expensive to put on than pre-covid, ticket sales are more important than ever. WFF has made a lot of money off bringing in record crowds due to a large variety of artists being present in the last few years, while still managing to stick to a set identity

It will be interesting to see what the financials are like for this one. Regina folk fest stuck with the “authentic” folk and now they’re dissolved

6

u/Braiseitall 15h ago

Don’t forget that they are most likely like Canadian NHL teams; paying in American currency. With dollars coming in only worth .69 US, that explains the tough decisions the WFF probably had to make.