Calgary Folk Music Festival Day 2: Rain, shine, and fun for visitors

It takes more than a few rain showers to dampen the fun at the Calgary Folk Music Festival.

And despite said rain on Friday, for day two of Folk Fest, there was little stopping revellers from taking in Bette Smith, The Wood Brothers on the mainstage, and Begonia on stage 4 during the downpour.

In fact, more than a few people traded sitting on their tarps for dancing next to the stages instead.

Anisha Bapodra was one of the visitors who was able to turn her afternoon sun shade into an impromptu rain shelter during the evening rain with a tarp-turned-tent.

“The sun shelter was definitely a must, and the tarp was in case the floor was wet from yesterday’s rain— it’s truly a fluke,” she said.

Bapodra didn’t think the rain would make it up from south Calgary to downtown for the evening shows, but even then she wasn’t going to let it ruin her night.

“We’ve got about eight more drink tickets to go through, so we’re gonna use them up before we’re heading out,” she laughed.

Business good for food truck vendors this year

The desire to stay, enjoy, and spend money was good news for the various food truck vendors on Prince’s Island Park for the festival.

“Rain or sun, it doesn’t matter,” said Dedy Mangenbulude, co-owner of Hungry Hero food truck which serve up authentic Indonesian cuisine.

Mangenbulude, who was in the middle of grilling when LiveWire spoke to him, said that there had been good changes for his business since prior Folk Fests.

He said that more clients were seeking out his business this year.

Day three of Folk Fest begins at 10:30 a.m. on July 23, with concerts by Robert Adam, VILDA, and Bryson Waind and the CB.

Indie rock superstars Spoon take to the mainstage at 10:15 p.m.

For more details on the lineup of performers for the entire Calgary Folk Music Festival weekend, see www.calgaryfolkfest.com.