CBC Radio 3 Searchlight: The Best Music Festival in Canada

The Calgary Folk Music Festival has been nominated in CBC Radio 3's Searchlight competition. Now music fans from across the country will determine which fest is the best. Voting takes place at radio3.cbc.ca by clicking on the searchlight promo.


Three years ago, the Globe and Mail declared the Calgary Folk Music Festival to be ‘one of the seven musical wonders of the world.’ A nod from CBC Radio 3 would be the icing on our kudos cake.


And why might we be among the finest festivals in Canada, perhaps even THE BEST? It could be due to the setting: Prince’s Island Park, a forested retreat nestled downtown which houses our 7 stages, family area, beer garden and arts and food markets. You can’t beat the ambiance, setting and array of offerings at Calgary’s annual musical antidote to Stampede mayhem.


Or maybe it’s the cool, relaxed vibe. Here, hippies and CEOs co-exist; the audience ranges from babies to seniors. We’ve been called the loosest and tightest festival, thanks to our organization, great recycling program and contributions of our 1500 community volunteers. It's a safe haven where the usual laws of order, decorum and fashion are temporarily suspended for the weekend.


But of course, it’s really about the music. It has been said that the Calgary Folk Music Festival has the best programming of any of the post-folk music fests; a genre-bending program that cleverly combines roots, world and indie artists from around the globe. It’s the city’s largest annual gathering of original, independent artists. From influential artists who began making music in the ‘60s to innovative artists whose music was created in the last decade, the Festival is a wonderful journey into the heart and soul of the roots and evolution of the music we like to call folk.


Ever-evolving programming pairs musicians in magical collaborations where one-time ensembles are created as artists trade songs and back each other up. Where else can you find Dick Gaughan jamming with Arrested Development, Jason Wilson and Mutabaruka?


Make the 31st annual Calgary Folk Music Festival the soundtrack to your summer, and vote for us every day at radio3.cbc.ca.