Folk Festival to return in 2022

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This article was published 07/12/2021 (1714 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Monday brought the first hopeful sign for Winnipeg Folk Festival fans in more than a year.

Tickets for the 47th edition of the event, which is scheduled to take place July 7-10 at Birds Hill Provincial Park, went on sale at winnipegfolkfestival.frontgatetickets.com or by phone at 1-888-512-7469.

A four-day adult ticket is $234, with those aged 13-17 or 65 and older paying $161. Thursday tickets are $80 ($64 for youths and seniors) while tickets for Friday, Saturday and Sunday are $105 each ($84 for youths and seniors). Children aged 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by an adult.

Camping passes with four-day tickets are also available for purchase, with a spot in the festival campground going for $314 ($241 for youths and seniors) and $274 for the quiet campground ($201 for youths and seniors).

Tickets cannot be purchased in-person because the folk fest office is closed to the public, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The pandemic has forced the cancellation of folk fests in 2020 and 2021, but widespread availability of vaccines that target COVID-19 have allowed entertainment such as concerts, theatre, movies, ballet and opera to return to stages in Manitoba and around the world. Other Manitoba festivals for next summer, such as Dauphin’s Countryfest, have already begun selling tickets.

The festival also announced new health and safety measures designed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 during the festival. The main item is the requirement for everyone attending the festival, including ticketholders, volunteers, staff and artists, to show government-issued proof of full vaccination against the coronavirus, such as the Manitoba Immunization Card or the Pan-Canadian Proof-of-Vaccination Certificate.

Children under 12 who are accompanied by a fully vaccinated parent or guardian do not require proof of vaccination.

There will be increased physical distancing and enhanced cleaning at festival site at Birds Hill park as well as greater cashless payment options. A decision on mask requirements will be made as the festival date approaches.

The festival’s health and safety rules can be viewed at winnipegfolkfestival.ca/festival-info/health-safety, but they are subject to provincial health regulations at the time of the festival.

Another change for the 2022 event involves prices of folk fest tickets and passes. There are three-tiers of prices for four-day tickets and camping passes in 2022 and there are a limited number of tickets in each tier.

Once the first tier of tickets sells out, they will be sold at the second-tier price point. Once the second tier of tickets sells out, they will be sold at the third and highest price, the folk fest says.

In previous festivals, organizers announced a deadline date to purchase early bird tickets before ticket prices went up.

alan.small@winnipegfreepress.com

Twitter: @AlanDSmall