After cancellation scare, Vancouver Folk Music Festival returns for 46th year
The Vancouver Folk Music Festival is back for its 46th year, just seven months after it looked like it may never return.
The three-day event kicked off on Friday at Jericho Beach Park, and thousands of people of different generations are expected to attend and enjoy dozens of live musical performances.
"(We're) happy to be here, back in the park," Erin Mullan, the president of the folk festival board, told CTV News.
The long-running festival was in jeopardy of shutting down permanently earlier this year due to financial challenges, but it managed to rake in enough public support for it to run another summer.
"People just stepped up in a big way, huge wave support that inspired the provincial government to put some additional funding into the arts, into festivals," Mullan said. "A lot of donors stepped up, volunteers, and we found ourselves in a position where we could have a festival, and here we are."
This year's event features more than 40 musical acts, as well as food vendors, an artisan market and a space geared towards families and children.
Musicians from all over the world will be performing on stage.
“It’s a place where people like me, who really love music, learn about music," said Mullan. "You find your new favourite artist. You learn about different traditions and types of music I didn’t even know about. So that’s just incredibly rich in terms of musical experience."
This year's event will be running smaller than previous years — about 30,000 people are expected to flock to Jericho Beach for the festival.
“Oh, it’s a highlight of my summer," said longtime volunteer Meg Ida.
"I've volunteered since '86 and I love volunteering for this. It means so much to me."
Parking is limited, so attendees are advised to take other forms of transportation.
The festival runs through Sunday.
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