Vancouver Folk Music Festival adds three new acts to 2023 lineup

Plus, fest extends early-bird weekend pass deadline, with one day tickets on sale at early-bird price

VANCOUVER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL, taking place July 14 to 16, is adding acts to the 2023 program.

Joining the fest is the multinational troupe Medicine Singers featuring Zoon and Yonatan Gat with special guest, Gord Grdina. The group is known for its groundbreaking sound that embodies decades of musical genres influenced by Indigenous music. As Pitchfork put it, Medicine Singers deliver a “vivid new context for the sound of the powwow drum, highlighting the debt that rock music owes to Native American music”.

North Carolina’s Toubab Krewe will travel West for the fest with its combination of rock, with African traditions, jam stylines, global folk strains, and more.

And Colin Linden, a singer-songwriter-guitarist who splits his time between B.C. and Tennessee, will bring his powerful blend of blues, rock, and roots.

Some 40 or so musical acts with roots in more than 10 countries, seven states, and eight provinces will be performing on three daytime stages and an evening stage throughout the weekend.

The fest has also announced that the deadline to purchase early-bird weekend passes has been extended to June 15 at 5 pm, while one-day tickets are on sale now at the early-bird discount prices (to June 15 at 5 pm as well).

See the full lineup in Stir’s coverage here.

A range of food and artisan vendors, a beer and wine Garden, a Community Village, and Little Folks Area are all also on the bill.

More information is at www.thefestival.bc.ca.

Articles

In Silk Strings, musical cultures fuse through deep history of imperial courts and ancient poetry

Early Music Vancouver Summer Festival and the Sound of Dragon Society join forces to play on Chinese-European musical exchange that is centuries old

Onibana Taiko pumps Japanese tradition full of riot grrrl aesthetics at the Powell Street Festival

Taiko artists Noriko Kobayashi and E. Kage reflect on punk-rock roots and gender expression

For soprano Magali Simard-Galdès, early music performance and sustainability work go hand in hand

Early Music Vancouver Summer Festival’s artist-in-residence interprets Bach, Schubert, and Mozart—and hosts a panel on how to bring environmentally sound practices to performing arts

Elektra unveils 2025-26 season led by new artistic director Cassie Luftspring

Offerings include a Christmas concert with emerging artists, a climate change–centred program, and the triennial Tapestry International Festival

Alexander Weimann plays “O Canada”–infused piano classics in True North Variations, July 27

Early Music Vancouver Summer Festival concert coincides with the release of a new CD

Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs announces 95th season, opening with a Phantom of the Opera silent-movie score

Among the other highlights are the annual Christmas With the Bach Choir, Behind the Keys, and SpringSong

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 acts to get you moving at the Mission Folk Music Festival

Tio Chorinho and Flávia Nascimento’s vibrant Brazilian rhythms, Shpilkis’s brass-driven klezmer, Julian Taylor’s soulful voice, and more

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 happenings to check out at the Eastside Arts Festival’s all-day MacLean Park party

From an indie garage-pop concert by Twin River to a plant pot–decorating workshop, here are just a few of the free offerings in store

Theatre review: Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] [again] takes pleasingly panicked tour of the Bard’s canon

As if haunted by centuries of hits and flops, the three figures in this Bard on the Beach comedy take jabs at the self-consciousness and shaky footing of being an actor

Manuel Axel Strain joins Vines Art Society as co-artistic director

Indigenous multidisciplinary artist will share responsibilities with founding artistic director Heather Lamoureux

Ahead of Eastside Arts Festival, Young Friend talks indie evolution and touring Canada

Vancouver-based Drew Tarves takes his music out of the bedroom and across the country

Folk Fest Artisan Market celebrates the handmade, from jewellery and soaps to fine prints and wizard hats, July 18 to 20

Over two dozen vendors are selling handmade wares at Jericho Beach Park during this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival

At Mission Folk Music Festival, the Vaudevillian’s sassy duo turns back clock to golden age of hokum

Ontario-based aficionados of vintage gear and saucy slang bring Prohibition-era daring to this year’s event

Indigenous Australian musician Emily Wurramara finds strength and solace in ancestral sources

Ahead of her Vancouver Folk Music Festival sets, the award-winning singer-songwriter reflects on the power of performing in her Nation’s language and representing her community

The Dance Deck marks its 10th anniversary at the Eastside Arts Festival, starting July 19

Belle Spirale’s backyard shindig features performances by Action at a Distance’s Vanessa Goodman, Paper Rabbits collective, Ballet BC dancers, and more

Blazing sound of Bab L’Bluz opens portal to diverse African cultures

Headlining at this year’s Vancouver Folk Music Festival, the electrifying Marrakesh-born outfit plugs in traditional instruments and rocks out

At the Eastside Arts Festival, 360 Riot Walk creates a new path through the site of a historic injustice

Multimedia artist Henry Tsang’s project allows Vancouverites to see how the city looked in 1907, when an act of anti-Asian violence occurred

Vines Art Festival announces 2025 lineup, ranging from outdoor storytelling to an exhibition opening

Free events will take place in seven Vancouver parks from August 6 to 16

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 picks from Fiona Black for Vancouver Folk Music Festival

Event’s artistic director recommends under-the-radar discoveries, from Tanzanian polyphony to a smashing trad Irish trio

Vancouver Civic Theatres hosts free open-air concert series Summer Sounds, weekly from July 10 to August 14

Performances take place Thursdays at 5 pm, featuring co-presentations with Indian Summer Festival, Vancouver Folk Music Festival, and more

Vetta Chamber Music celebrates its 40th season with a just-announced lineup full of Canadian works

The premiere of a Dorothy Chang composition and a guest appearance by harpist Rita Costanzi are among the highlights

A Punjabi play, an enlightening salon series, and more as Monsoon Festival of Performing Arts unveils 2025 lineup

This year’s event, on from August 7 to 17, also features a standup comedy show by YouTube star Manpreet Singh and all-ages dance workshops

Alam Khan extends family’s deep lineage in Indian music by blending tradition and adventure

At this year’s Indian Summer Festival, the sarod virtuoso draws on generations of musical mastery to create improvisations that reflect everything from audience response to the time of day

Chan Centre hosts Grammy Award–winning artist esperanza spalding in concert, August 29

Bassist-vocalist will be joined by a special group of musicians to play tracks off her past albums and forthcoming project

Stir Cheat Sheet: 5 top stops at the Khatsahlano Street Party

From legendary names in Vancouver’s music scene to ice-cold craft beers and a bangin’ kids stage, here are a few features to hit on West 4th Avenue on July 5

Theatre review: Two Gentlemen of Verona’s comic tale of romance and betrayal thrives on ’80s-era dazzle

In Bard on the Beach’s new production, retro pastels and power suits map surprisingly well onto the chaos of Shakespeare’s sometimes troublesome original