The Edmonton Folk Music Festival is one of North America's premier outdoor music events — four days in early August at Gallagher Park, overlooking the North Saskatchewan River valley from the south bank. The festival has run every year since 1980 and has established a reputation for programming that combines internationally known names with regional artists and genre boundaries deliberately ignored.
The hillside amphitheatre at Gallagher Park is one of the better natural outdoor venues in Canada. The main stage faces west, which means evening sets happen with the sun setting over the river valley behind the audience. Smaller workshop stages run throughout the days, pairing artists for collaborative sessions that don't happen anywhere else. Alcohol is permitted on the grounds; blankets and picnic food are brought by most regular attendees.
Tickets for the full festival sell out well in advance; single-day tickets are sometimes available closer to the date. The festival's lineup is announced in spring. Past headliners give a sense of the booking range: Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Norah Jones, Alison Krauss, Buena Vista Social Club.