WEATHER ALERT

Ready, Sweat, Go… Winnipeg Folk Festival attendees brave scorching temps at Birds Hill Posted: Last Modified:

“I’m sorry for subjecting you to my British knees,” U.K. singer-songwriter Billy Bragg said at his Sunday workshop at the 51st Winnipeg Folk Festival. “Sometimes you have to make a choice between being cool and looking cool.”

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“I’m sorry for subjecting you to my British knees,” U.K. singer-songwriter Billy Bragg said at his Sunday workshop at the 51st Winnipeg Folk Festival. “Sometimes you have to make a choice between being cool and looking cool.”

He wasn’t alone in choosing the former; the fest at Birds Hill Pro-vincial Park, which sold out in advance, featured no shortage of creative heat-beating apparel.

First-aid volunteers wandered through the crowd misting overheat-ed fans with water and crowds largely stuck to treed areas.

MATT DUBOFF PHOTO Quebec buzz band Angine de Poitrine performs at the Blue Blue @ Night stage on Friday night. The mysterious rock duo brought a wealth of new attendees to the folk fest, many of whom sported polka-dot outfits in homage to the band.

MATT DUBOFF PHOTO

Quebec buzz band Angine de Poitrine performs at the Blue Blue @ Night stage on Friday night. The mysterious rock duo brought a wealth of new attendees to the folk fest, many of whom sported polka-dot outfits in homage to the band.

Some ticket holders certainly stayed home on Sunday, when the humidex reached 47 C and shade was a hot commodity but many stuck it out to see acts from Sweden, Liberia, Lithuania, Wales, Benin and our own backyard heat up a multitude of stages over the course of the four-day event.

ADAM SCARPINO PHOTO South Korean band Insun Park and Generals.

ADAM SCARPINO PHOTO

South Korean band Insun Park and Generals.

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS Winnipeg’s Ian Zienkicz, who is attending his 18th Winnipeg Folk Festival, uses an umbrella to keep cool on Sunday.

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS

Winnipeg’s Ian Zienkicz, who is attending his 18th Winnipeg Folk Festival, uses an umbrella to keep cool on Sunday.

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS Lily Scott from Edmonton has fun with bubbles at Snowberry Field Stage on Sunday.

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS

Lily Scott from Edmonton has fun with bubbles at Snowberry Field Stage on Sunday.

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS Stephen Kurz (left) and Luizu Seiler, visiting from the Netherlands, take in the folk fest.

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS

Stephen Kurz (left) and Luizu Seiler, visiting from the Netherlands, take in the folk fest.

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS Contemporary Ukrainian ‘ethno-drama’ act Yagódy performs on Sunday.

BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS

Contemporary Ukrainian ‘ethno-drama’ act Yagódy performs on Sunday.

ADAM SCARPINO PHOTO Amos the Kid, a.k.a. Winnipeg’s Amos Nadlersmith, performs Saturday evening.

ADAM SCARPINO PHOTO

Amos the Kid, a.k.a. Winnipeg’s Amos Nadlersmith, performs Saturday evening.

ADAM SCARPINO PHOTO GOAT performs at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in Birds Hill Park, Saturday evening.

ADAM SCARPINO PHOTO

GOAT performs at the Winnipeg Folk Festival in Birds Hill Park, Saturday evening.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS The crowd enjoys Fontine playing the main stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival on Thursday.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS

The crowd enjoys Fontine playing the main stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival on Thursday.

MATT DUBOFF PHOTO Wolf Parade performs at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Friday evening.

MATT DUBOFF PHOTO

Wolf Parade performs at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, Friday evening.

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BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Folk Fest attendee Miles Bruns, 32, from Madison, Wis., tries to keep cool on an extremily hot summer day by filling up his bucket hat with water from an outdoor shower at Birds Hill Provincial Park, Sunday.
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BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS Folk Fest attendee Jayme Halbritter, 34, from Minneapolis, Minn., takes a sip of water while holding a parasol to try to keep cool on an extremely hot summer day while Yagódy performs on the Snowberry Field Stage at the Winnipeg Folk Festival at Birds Hill Provincial Park on Sunday.
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BROOK JONES/FREE PRESS Folk Fest goer Ayla Prandzioch, 35, who is from Winnipeg, tries to keep cool with a hand fan while watching Yagódy perfrom on the Snowberry Field Stage on an extremely hot day at the 51st edition of the Winnipeg Folk Festival at Birds Hill Provincial Park in Manitoba on Sunday, July 12, 2026.
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MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS Joannes Mendivil and his two daughters, Pia, 2, and Paula, 1, take advantage of the cool water at the Maples Spray Pad Monday afternoon. Reporter: Tiago Resko 260713 - Monday, July 13, 2026.
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