Juno award-winning alt-rockers July Talk will headline the Peterborough Folk Festival on Saturday night during the festival’s free-admission weekend on August 17 and 18, with local roots rockers The Spades (James McKenty, Tom Street, and Josh Robichaud) reuniting for the first time in six years to open for July Talk.
On Monday (July 22), festival organizers announced the full line-up for the 35th annual festival at Nicholls Oval Park. Along with July Talk and The Spades, other newly announced performers include Saskatoon neo-soul musician Katie Tupper, Calgary folk-country singer-songwriter Mariel Buckley, Cape Breton folk quintet Pretty Archie, and Guelph jazz and R&B band SHEBAD.
Local performers include Peterborough’s 17-year-old fiddling sensation and singer-songwriter Irish Millie and Peterborough rockabilly and honky-tonk guitarist and singer-songwriter Nicholas Campbell (both of whom were named the Peterborough Folk Festival’s 2023 Emerging Artists), Warkworth singer-songwriter and guitarist Darren Roy Clarke, Peterborough Celtic quartet Hunt the Hare, Peterborough indie-pop artist Sarah Jayne Riley, dub poet Chet Singh (who performed with Peterborough reggae band Dub Trinity), and comic musician B.A Johnston.
On June 19, festival organizers had announced that 2024 Canadian Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee and Blue Rodeo co-singer Greg Keelor would headline the festival weekend on Sunday night, joined on the Miskin Law Main Stage by Melissa Payne and Brooks & Bowskill (Brittany Brooks and Jimmy Bowskill).
Other festival performers announced in June include Boy Golden, Kalascima with Andrea Ramolo, Jadea Kelly, Meredith Moon, Sonshine and Broccoli, Odario Williams, Polky, Quote The Raven, Mr. Sauga, Leanne Betasamosake, Brooks & Bowskill, and Sharon and Randi, as well as the Peterborough Folk Festival’s 2024 Emerging Artist Calvin Bakelaar a.k.a. VanCamp.
“We are thrilled to share the full lineup for this year’s festival after announcing the first wave in early June,” said Peterborough Folk Festival artistic director Ryan Kemp in a media release.
VIDEO: “No Safe + Sound” – July Talk
“July Talk are not only an amazing live band, they share Peterborough Folk Festival’s values of inclusion and creating a safe and welcoming performance environment,” Kemp added. “It’s so exciting to bring them back to Peterborough and have Leah Fay Goldstein and Peter Dreimanis, surrounded by whiplashing guitarists Ian Docherty and Josh Warburton and double drummers Danny Miles and Dani Nash, perform their award-winning music.”
During Monday’s announcement, Peterborough Folk Festival board chair Rob Davis outlined some of the improvements made for this year’s festival.
“The Miskin Law Main Stage has been shifted to provide the audience more room to dance and get up close to the performers,” Davis explained. “Local artist Kathryn Durst has designed beautiful new stage banners that we think people will love. And we’ve worked with Generation Solar to upgrade the ever-popular Generation Solar Stage to provide a more attractive environment and the ability to host workshops with multiple artists collaborating on one-of-a-kind performances”.
That means that artists performing on the Miskin Law Main Stage will be getting together with artists on both the Generation Solar Stage and Cameron’s Pavilion Stage, such as The Spades and Brooks and Bowskill playing tribute to the songs of Neil Young on Sunday during the festival weekend.
Davis noted that, thanks to the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation and volunteers, the festival has purchased basic equipment such as canopy tents, folding tables, electric cords, and cable ramps “that will enable the festival to continue to operate safely and reliably.”
The Peterborough Folk Festival kicks off on Thursday, August 15th with a ticketed concert at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre featuring Wild Rivers with VanCamp opening. Tickets are available at tickets.markethall.org/rivers24.
The free-admission festival weekend begins at Nicholls Oval Park will be an opening ceremony at 11:40 a.m. on Saturday, August 17th followed by a Sharon, Lois and Bram sing-along with Sharon and Randi.
“See You When The Weather Breaks” – The Spades (2018)
Below is the full line-up of performers during the weekend (note: this list is not in order of appearance).
Saturday, August 17
- July Talk
- The Spades
- Mariel Buckley
- Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
- Odario
- Kalàscima featuring Andrea Ramolo
- Sharon, Lois and Bram sing-along with Sharon and Randi
- B.A Johnston
- Polky
- Pretty Archie
- Quote The Raven
- SHEBAD
- Evan Redsky
- Nicholas Campbell
- Irish Millie
- VanCamp
- Chet Singh
- Mr. Sauga
Sunday, August 18
- Greg Keelor
- Boy Golden
- Katie Tupper
- Brooks and Bowskill
- Meredith Moon
- Jadea Kelly
- Darren Roy Clarke
- Hunt The Hare
- The Spades
- Irish Millie
- Pretty Archie
- Andrea Ramolo
VIDEO: “Share The Love” – Greg Keelor
Along with the performers, the family-friendly festival weekend features a children’s village running each day from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. with a children’s stage and activities that include face painting, family yoga, story-time, circus performances, crafts, games, and more. There will also be two Miskin Law Main Stage performances early each day for children of all ages.
People can visit the artisan village featuring over 40 local artisans and community groups, and the food village with 12 local food vendors.
Peterborough Folk Festival is still seeking volunteers for the festival weekend at Nicholls Oval Park, as well as sponsors for the festival. For more information about the festival and to volunteer or sponsor the festival, visit www.peterboroughfolkfest.com.
kawarthaNOW is proud to be a sustaining partner of the Peterborough Folk Festival.
