Ready, set… festival!

It feels almost strange — entering a week that will actually end with the first Winnipeg Folk Festival since 2019.

Yet here we are. The 2022 edition of the area’s premier music festival is slated to open on the evening of Thursday, July 7 and run through Sunday night in Birds Hill Park, as it has every year since 1974, save for the pandemic years of 2020 and 2021.

In my circle of friends and family, the return of the festival has mostly been welcomed with open arms. Several people I know are flying or driving in and one of my sons will be setting off as early as Tuesday to spend a week in the festival campground with his girlfriend and their friends. My aunt and uncle, who are in their 70s, have been planning their weekend of music-watching for what seems like months.

Others in my cohort, though, have expressed trepidation over attending such a large gathering, even if it is outdoors. Their concern is understandable but, as was evident in footage from the recent Glastonbury festival in the U.K. and from numerous sporting events around the world, people are anxious to resume living as they did prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and I expect this year’s festival will be busy.

If you do plan on heading out to Birds Hill this weekend, you’ll have plenty of music to choose from and, because you’re all fabulous people and discerning listeners, I’m sure you all have your favourite acts already saved in the Folk Fest app on your phones. However, if you do find some holes in your schedules, I highly recommend that you try to catch shows by these five artists:

Arooj Aftab — Born in Lahore, Pakistan, Aftab moved to the U.S. in 2005 to study at the Berklee College of Music and has since become creator of an alluring blend of traditional South Asian music with jazz and experimental music. Her 2021 album, Vulture Prince, won a Grammy this year and her show at the Big Blue @ Night stage on Saturday evening should be a highlight of the festival.

Japanese Breakfast — Jubilee, the third album by the Korean-American artist Michelle Zauner, who records as Japanese Breakfast, was one of the best indie pop records of 2021. Catch her Saturday night on the Festival mainstage.

Lido Pimienta — A Colombian-Canadian performer who won Canada’s prestigious Polaris Prize in 2016 for her album La Papessa, Pimienta blends Colombian styles such as cumbia and bullerengue with rhythmic elements of modern electonic music. She performs at Big Blue @ Night on Friday.

The New Pornographers — It’s hard to believe, but Mass Romantic, the debut album by The New Pornos, who were then based in Vancouver (but whose members are now scattered around North America) turned 20 last year. Although the group’s lineup has changed somewhat, rest assured that bandleader A.C. Newman will have the band in fine form when it performs at Big Bluestem on Sunday afternoon.

The Weather Station — Torontonian Tamara Lindeman’s blend of folk, rock and pop hit a rich blend of form on her 2021 album, Ignorance, and she has shown no signs of slowing down, as she released How Is It That I Should Look at the Stars this spring. Catch her on Friday afternoon at the Green Ash stage.

John Kendle, Managing editor, Canstar Community News

EVENTS

Out & About

St. Boniface Summer Market • Esplanade Riel, July 7, 5 – 9 p.m. Local vendors, live music and more.

Dakota Community Centre Summer Market • Dakota Community Centre, July 7, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Downtown Winnipeg Farmers’ Market • Manitoba Hydro Place, July 7, 10 a.m.–2:30 p.m.

Concerts

Downtown Sounds Concert Series • July 5 — Canuckulele, Chinese Garden; July 12 — Kwiat, Chinese Garden.

Ça Claque • July 6, 7 p.m., Transcona Centennial Stage. Traditional French-Canadian/Métis song, music and dance.

Rockalypso • July 7, 7 p.m., St. Norbert Arts Centre. Traditional French-Canadian/Métis song, music and dance. Tickets $15 at eventbrite.ca

Winnipeg School of Rock • July 7, 7 p.m., Lyric Theatre, Assiniboine Park. Free.

Shawn Mendes • July 7, 7:30 p.m., Canada Life Centre. With Dermot Kennedy. Tickets $162–¢36 at ticketmaster.ca

Winnipeg Folk Festival • July 7–10, Birds Hill Park. Feat. Portugal. The Man, Strumbellas, Kurt Vile, Arooj Aftab, Jeremy Dutcher, The New Pornographers, Tash Sultana and more. Tickets and more info at www.winnipegfolkfestival.ca

Tim Hicks • July 8, 8 p.m., Club Regent Event Centre. Tickets $51.66–$40.86 at ticketmaster.ca

Soca Reggae Festival • July 8–10, Old Market Square. See www.socareggaefestival.ca for details

Trio Los Laureles • July 9, 2 p.m., The Leaf concert garden, Assiniboine Park. Free.

Drag Variety Show • July 10, 7 p.m., Lyric Theatre, Assiniboine Park. Free. Presented by Synonym ARt Consultation and GORGE

SoulBear • July 10, 2 p.m., The Leaf concert garden, Assiniboine Park. Free.

Museums

The Rolling Stones: Unzipped • Expo Live! @ Portage Place. Until July 31. Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m., Tues.-Thurs.; 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri., Sat.; 11 a.m.-6 p.m., Sun. Tickets at ticketweb.ca

Ultimate Dinosaurs • Manitoba Museum. Until Sept. 5, 2022. Come and see giant full-scale skeletons of rarely-seen dinosaurs from the other side of the world. Museum hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., 7 days a week. Learn more and buy tickets at manitobamuseum.ca

Nightspots

The Beer Can (1 Granite Way) • July 6 – Wurldjams with Anthony OKS and Zuki; July 7 — Freddy & the Fire Nation, Tix $17.50 at eventbrite.ca; July 10 – Sunday’s Cool w/ DJ Hunnicutt.

Blue Note Park (220 Main St.) • July 5 — Manitobandits, Ultra Mega, Smoky Tiger; July 8 — Lust, CVM.ILLA, DJ Tayne; July 10 — Sunday Blues Jam w/ Big Dave McLean

Good Will Social Club (625 Portage Ave.) • July 6 — Manitoba Music New Music Night, feat. Impressions Jazz Group and the Drone Project, Skye, Cec Lopez; July 9 — Queer Folks Festival

Le Patio 340 (340 Provencher Blvd.) • July 7 — Mountain Seed, Akina; July 8 — Soirée Karaoke w/ Carine Roy; July 9 — Jaryn Friesen; July 10 — Le Marché 340, 4 to 8 p.m., Soirée Jazz feat. Sarau Carioca, Luana Cunha, Marcos Martins.

Osborne Taphouse (112 Osborne St.) • July 5 — Open mic w/ Jace Bodner; July 8 — Downtown Alley; July 9 — Primetime.

Theatre

Rainbow Stage (Kildonan Park) • The Hockey Sweater. Until July 17. Showtimes: 7:30 p.m. nightly (no Saturday shows); 2 p.m. matinees July 10, 13 and 17.