It happens in the Queen City but it has a big Yorkton following.
The Regina Folk Festival has another strong lineup for 2013. Sandra Butel, Artistic Director for the RFF, says the event, running August 9-11 in Regina's Victoria Park, is a festival to get excited about.
This year's headliners are Feist, Neko Case and Loreena McKennitt. Butel says that the entirely female headline was a happy coincidence. Feist and Case have been at the event before, but at different points in their career, and Feist has become a major international star since the last time she was on the stage. This will be the first time for McKennitt on the Folk Festival stage, and Butel is proud to be getting a major artist who isn't in Saskatchewan very often, something that remains a goal for the festival.
"It's getting harder to do, because people are visiting our province more, which is great," Butel says.
She also says she is most excited about the artists that people discover over the course of the event. Artists such as Charles Bradley, who she says is an "overnight success in his 60s," and is a joy to watch.
"For me, because that's the work that I'm doing, my goal is to bring music to people to discover that they're really going to love. I really enjoy programming for an audience, I often sit and watch the audience, I don't watch what's happening on stage, so when an audience likes an artist that I've booked that they've never heard of before I feel like I have succeeded in something."
The wide variety of artists this year represent an international sound, with many of the artists bringing in their own unique roots from their particular corner of the world.
"I really see it as people's music, and people's music is super varied and is always changing."
Celebrating Saskatchewan talent is another goal for the festival. Rah Rah is a local band that has been a long time favorite of the festival, and will be making their first appearance on the main stage. Butel says that they have been achieving international acclaim recently, and she knows they will make an impression on the main stage. Other local groups include Close Talkers from Saskatoon, a new band which she's excited to see Saskatchewan audiences discover them.
"It's an important part of the festival for us to highlight some of the talent we have in Saskatchewan, and to be able to give them an opportunity to play a professionally managed stage and have that support, and also to mix up in workshops with professional artists from around the world," Butel adds.
The afternoon program for the festival is free, something that Butel says defines the festival. She says there's access for people to see what's going on and discover artists, as well as convince some people to buy a ticket for the main stage performance after they have a taste of the event.
Advance tickets for the event are $110 plus GST and students and senior weekend passes are $98 plus GST. Individual night tickets are $53 plus GST for each night. Free admission for children 12 & under. https://tickets.globetheatrelive.com/TheatreManager/1/online or call the box office at or call 1-866-954-5623.
