The Peterborough Folk Festival has announced the remaining line-up of performers for the 34th annual weekend of music, food, and culture on Saturday, August 19th and Sunday, August 20th at Nicholls Oval Park, featuring a wide diversity of both out-of-town and local musical arts.
In addition to already-announced headliners alt-rockers Broken Social Scene and singer-songwriter Loreena McKennitt along with children’s music duo Splash’N Boots, out-of-town performers include three Juno award winners: indie folk-rock musician Dan Mangan, alt-country rockers The Sadies, and Oshawa indie pop band Dizzy.
Other visiting performers include the 12-piece funk/jazz/hip hop band My Son The Hurricane, indie rocker Skye Wallace, indie folk band MOONRiiVR (the new project from The Wooden Sky’s Gavin Gardner), folk duo Bad Actors (a new project by former Murder Murder members Barry Miles and Jonathan Danyliw), 10-piece reggae band Reggaddiction, and Indigenous hip hop artist Mr. Sauga.
The weekend also features local performers Evangeline Gentle, Matthew Holtby, Brooklyn Doran, Sarah McInnis, Charlie Glasspool, DOSES (Dylan Ireland’s new project), VANCAMP, Victoria Yeh, Nicholas Campbell, Little Fire Collective, and The Lucky Ones (featuring Ryan West who now resides in the Yukon).
The festival kicks off with two ticketed concerts on Thursday, August 17th and Friday, August 18th.
On Thursday, Juno award-winning pop-folk band The East Pointers will perform at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre in downtown Peterborough with Ottawa-based roots singer-songwriter Mimi O’Bonsawin and Peterborough fiddling sensation Irish Millie opening. On Friday, two award-winning blues musicians will perform at the Gordon Best Theatre in downtown Peterborough, with Ottawa-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Angelique Francis headlining and Peterborough’s own singer-songwriter and guitarist Emily Burgess opening.
“The Peterborough Folk Festival is lucky to have Ryan Kemp, a talented and dedicated artistic director, who strives to realize the festival’s mandate to to promote music and arts
within the Peterborough community with a focus on inclusivity and sustainability,” says festival chair Rob Davis in a media release.
The admission-by-donation weekend at Nicholls Oval Park features four stages of live music,a family-friendly children’s village, an artisan village, a food village, Cameron’s Brewing beer pavilion, and more.
While the festival’s poster has been finalized (designed by Cobourg musician Brittany Brooks, who performs with Bailieboro native Jimmy Bowskill in the duo Brooks and Bowskill), festival organizers say there are also a couple of line-up “surprises” still to be announced.
Weekend after-parties will be held at Jethro’s Bar + Stage in downtown Peterborough.
“The Peterborough Folk Festival is thrilled to showcase this diverse line up featuring amazing renowned Canadian talent as well as over a dozen local performers,” Davis says.
“Together, their performances will amplify the richness of our shared human experience and celebrate the vibrant tapestry of our community.”
In advance of the festival, organizers are seeking more volunteers and also still have openings available for vendors.
For more information about the festival, including how to get involved as an artist, volunteer, or vendor, visit www.peterboroughfolkfest.com.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a media sponsor of the 2023 Peterborough Folk Festival.
