The return of Manitoba festivals

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/03/2022 (1314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

On the day I sat down to write this column, mask mandates in Manitoba were officially lifted — nearly two full years to the day that our province first declared its COVID state of emergency. Now, as we hopefully cautiously venture into our previously-normal-but-now-strange new world, events will begin to re-emerge, festivals will resume rollouts, and life will slowly transition from virtual screens to in-person. It will be most welcome, I’m sure.

On this summer’s anticipated festival front, those who like to plan holidays around music and culture will have lots to choose from — starting with Dauphin’s Countryfest from July 1 to3, and the return of good ol’ fashioned Countryfest shenanigans. The all-Canadian musical lineup will feature headliners such as Paul Brandt, Dean Brody, Johnny Reid, Terri Clark, and more. Loyal patrons who kept their tickets over the past two years will enjoy an exclusive opening night kickoff party with Corb Lund and Charlie Major, the latter of whom will also put on a private concert at a special cocktail reception for VIP ticket holders.

For nearly 50 years so many great performers have graced Winnipeg Folk Festival stages, ever since Murray McLauchlan, Sylvia Tyson, Leon Redbone, and two dozen other artists played the inaugural folk music gathering in 1974. Winnipeg Folk Festival will take up residence at Birds Hill Provincial Park from July 7 to 10, with a soon-to-be-announced lineup, and an even stronger emphasis on local partnerships with businesses such as Little Brown Jug, which is ready to pour beverages from the festival’s tavern taps.

Live theatre action will again be found at the Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival, with a host of live shows taking place July 13 to 24. The second largest event of its kind in North America, more than 170 companies are expected to come together to present independent theatre in the heart of our city. The beauty of the Fringe is that it’s a non-juried festival, with performances chosen by lottery. This means artists are free to maintain complete creative control over what they present, which makes for sometimes unexpected, often insightful, and always entertaining theatre.

If you’re feeling eager to start travelling the world again, consider doing it without leaving Winnipeg. The beloved Folklorama festival is slated for July 31 to Aug. 13 with pavilions around the city featuring cultural displays, world-class entertainment, and authentic cuisine. Did you know Folklorama is a member-based organization made up of artists, vendors and patrons of Manitoba’s diverse multicultural community? Memberships support the mission of celebrating diversity and promoting cultural understanding, which the world can always use a little more of.

As we get back out there, with restrictions lifting across our country as well as beyond borders, it’s more important than ever to continue to take precautions. To keep as safe as possible while we rediscover doing the things we love. No doubt it will be strange to return to what we once knew. To get back into the flow of festivities. To be part of densely crowded places again.

But also most welcomed, I’m sure.