Typical for this time of year, Prince’s Island Park is set to host thousands of music lovers, volunteers, and mingling musicians.

From Thursday through Sunday, musicians and fans from across Canada will gather in Calgary’s Prince’s Island Park for the 47th annual Calgary Folk Music Festival.

This year’s headliners include Of Monsters and Men on Thursday, Thundercat on Friday, Marty Stuart and his fabulous Superlatives on Saturday and Corb Lund on Sunday, among others. The full lineup can be found here.

Sara Leishman, the executive director of Calgary Folk Music Festival, said that their artistic director Kerry Clarke has done a terrific job in curating the lineup this year.

“Everything from the best and most current, most interesting world music, to what we’re hearing on top 40,” she said.

“We have an incredibly diverse lineup.”

While attendees come for the music, the underlying appeal for many is the welcoming community built by generations of volunteers and strengthened by the diverse audience and inclusive lineup of performers year after year.

Festival, community built through volunteering

Since the festival began nearly 50 years ago, it has gotten where it is today because of the people who offered a helping hand. Leishman boils it down to the dedication and hard work of one generous group.

“The volunteers remain at the absolute core of what we do and how we build that community,” she said.

“We call them our gentle army. We’ve got 1,700 people, and they are actually the ones that have built this festival.”

The number of returning volunteers and children whose parents once volunteered who now wear volunteer badges themselves has created a vibe similar to a family reunion for some.

John Lund, an electrical coordinator at Folk Fest, has been volunteering with the festival since 1980. Since his start, he’s inspired a family tradition and even helped spark love.

“Our son and his wife met here as kids because our daughter-in-law’s parents were volunteering here and we were volunteering here,” he said.

“The kids essentially grew up together. Now married, their children are here. Their eldest just started being an official volunteer for the festival this year.”

Having volunteered since 1994, Deb Charnuski, who volunteers in the hospitality department, said that she values how diverse and inclusive the festival has become.

“It’s just a wonderful vibe that happens every summer,” she said.

“People who love music and love being together and working and making the festival the best that it could be.” 

Reflecting diversity in Calgary

According to Leishman, the same sense of community that exists behind the scenes is reflected on stage.

Clarke said that building a diverse lineup is an intentional process that often begins years before the artists set foot on stage at the festival, noting that representation is a priority. 

“We have a real commitment to booking a diverse lineup, and to us, that means age ranges and perspectives and race and culture,” she said.

“This year, out of the 67 artists, 20 are of African descent, nine are indigenous. There’s a couple of overlaps and we have artists from Ukraine and from Colombia and a whole mix.” 

Clarke said that the definition of folk music encompasses a wide range of cultures and genres. 

“People think folk music is a certain thing, and it’s never really been for us. It’s been about great songwriting and original creative instrumentation, and it can come in many different forms,” she said.

“It isn’t beards and banjos.”

Music builds connection

For many performers, community shines through jam sessions and collaborations.

Calgary singer Kate Stevens, a returning performer at the festival, says it has always been more than a place to perform.

“It’s just such a great example of how music binds our city together,” she said.

“Music is this always changing, always evolving thing; it also has such deep roots in history and in our communities.”

Despite their existing core of fans and volunteers, the festival is still eyeing new demographics.

This year, Leishman said the festival has partnered with organizations like Big Brothers and Sisters and Calgary’s Centre for Newcomers. 

“We’re catching up to develop our community partnerships to let people know about how diverse our programming is,” she said.

“We’re hoping to get more folks in from there.”

The goal of Folk Fest is to ensure everyone feels like they belong whether it’s their first time or their 47th, according to Leishmen.

“What we really want is for them to come, soak it all in, tell their friends, feel like a part of the community,” she said.