Summerfolk Music & Crafts Festival
The Summerfolk Music & Crafts Festival has celebrated tradition, creativity, and excellence in folk music and art since 1976. Located on the shores of Georgian Bay inside Kelso Beach Park, the Summerfolk Festival offers the finest in folk/roots and traditional music on three evening stages Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Now with four days of music on seven stages to mark our 40th anniversary, dozens of artisan craft vendors, and performers from all over the world, it’s no wonder that Summerfolk has drawn crowds for the last four decades. This year, we will kick off with a birthday bash featuring Matt Andersen on Thursday, August 20th. Summerfolk rolls through the weekend with a children’s area and splash pad for the kids, licensed areas for the grown-ups, food vendors for the hungry, artisan crafts for the treasure hunters, and music and dance stages for everyone.
The Children’s Area is an integral part of the festival and features creative programs specifically for children, a playground, splash pad, and a supervised craft area. Tod Crowley’s ‘Musical Petting Zoo’ display gives music lovers of all ages a ‘hands on’ experience with over 100 traditional and international musical instruments.
Summerfolk is highly regarded for both the quality of the music programming and the excellence of the Artisan’s work exhibited and available for sale. The Artisan’s Village, listed in the Ontario Crafts Council directory, includes a demonstration tent, People’s Choice awards for outstanding exhibit, and cash prizes awarded to juried recipients for exceptional work.
Summerfolk offers many opportunities for participation , including instructional dance workshops, open mic slots on the Homemade Jam stage, and music and craft workshops throughout the weekend.
Family participation is one of the keys to Summerfolk’s continued success. Our intergenerational audience stretches from babes in arms to elders. Entire families and groups reunite at the festival each year meet new friends and strengthen old connections. Those relationships keep the Summerfolk family strong, vibrant and alive generation after generation, elevating the festival from an ‘event’ to an ‘experience’.
