Crowds arriving for 50th edition of Winnipeg Folk Festival

Campers have been arriving at Birds Hill Provincial Park to enjoy the 50th edition of the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

Crowds have started lining up for a milestone edition of a popular Winnipeg summer tradition.

Gates opened Wednesday morning for the first campers to move into Birds Hill Provincial Park for the 50th edition of the Winnipeg Folk Festival.

The festival runs from July 10 to 13.

“We take well over a year to plan every festival, and this is our Christmas morning, when everybody turns up and is so excited to be here and showing such passion for just being at the festival,” said Valerie Shantz, the executive director of the festival.

Shantz said each night before mainstage performances take place, videos and photos from the previous 50 years will be shown to the audience.

She added that the event has become a tradition for some families over the years.

“It’s not unusual for us to see four generations at the festival,” Shantz said. “So many people have grown up at the festival. It’s an important part of their family tradition to meet here.”

More than 2,000 volunteers help the festival run over the four days.

“The Folk Fest community is wonderful,” said Trie Truttman, a volunteer for the festival. “Everybody is caring and giving and selfless, and we’re all here for the same reason. We want everybody to have a happy Folk Fest, and we want the Folk Fest to be successful.”

Headliners at this year’s festival include Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit on Thursday, Peach Pit on Friday, The Cat Empire on Saturday and Lake Street Drive on Sunday.

Other performers include Mavis Staples, Fred Penner, Bruce Cockburn, Ani DiFranco and Waxahatchee.

There are 78 acts playing the festival this year. A full schedule and single-day ticket information can be found on the Folk Festival’s website.

-With files from CTV’s Ainsley McPhail.