2026 Winnipeg Folk Festival lineup unveiled

The Winnipeg Folk Festival is bringing Of Monsters and Men, Father John Misty and Lucy Dacus among others to Birds Hill Park in July.

Of Monsters and Men, Lucy Dacus and Father John Misty are among the headliners of the Winnipeg Folk Festival’s newly unveiled 2026 lineup.

The festival announced its slate of acts Thursday, noting this year’s programming blends fresh faces with the familiar spirit folk festers have come to expect.

“I think the theme for this year is the next 50 years,” Winnipeg Folk Festival Artistic Director Chris Frayer told CTV News.

“We’re moving forward with the programming in terms of fresh, new bands that haven’t played the festival before. Particularly, all of our headliners this year have not played the festival before, and only one of the six has ever played Winnipeg before.”

Some of this year’s top headliners include Of Monsters and Men – an appearance organizers say has been a longtime goal of the festival. The Icelandic indie-rock band’s festival debut comes at a meaningful time – the 150th anniversary of the Icelandic settlement in Manitoba.

“Of Monsters and Men have family that are living here or live in Gimli, so it’s that fun nod to our Manitoba history but they’re also a very hip, globe-trotting band,” Frayer said.

Also joining the Folk Fest lineup for the first time is Lucy Dacus, a celebrated singer-songwriter who’s also a member of the supergroup boygenius with Grammy winner Phoebe Bridgers.

Father John Misty also makes his festival debut with Stephen Wilson Jr., Jesse Welles and folk-tronic group Sylvan Esso.

The festival also announced special programming including “Time Fades Away: Neil Young @ 80,” which is billed as Folk Fest’s version of the 2025 Massey Hall celebration of the Winnipeg-born artist on his 80th birthday.

All in all, the lineup brings a new blend of international and local acts, Frayer said.

“It’s sort of like ‘let’s bring the world to Birds Hill Provincial Park to party for four days in July.’”

The 51st Winnipeg Folk Festival runs July 9 to 12 at Birds Hill Provincial Park.

The full lineup is available on the festival’s website.

- With files from CTV’s Jamie Dowsett