Taking place at beautiful Jericho Beach in July each year, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival is one of the Lower Mainland’s premier music festivals.
Visit thefestival.bc.ca for the festival’s official website.
In this article you’ll find information about the following:
When and Where | Admission | Concert Lineup Schedule | What to Expect | Beer Garden | Festival Food | Little Folks Village | Artisan Market | Festival Advice | Other Information
Click on any of the above links to jump to a specific topic, or continue reading to learn all about the Vancouver Folk Music Festival.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival at Jericho Beach
Attracting thousands of folk music enthusiasts over the three days, the Vancouver Folk Music Festival features dozens of workshops and performances by artists from around the world.
Celebrating its 49th anniversary in 2026, the festival takes place on the Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of July 17th to 19th.
Visit the Vancouver Folk Music Festival website for full details about this event.
Where and When
The Vancouver Folk Music Festival takes place at the park at Jericho Beach in Vancouver. In 2026 it happens on the weekend of July 17th to 19th. The hours of operation are from around 3:00 pm to 11:00 pm on Friday and from about 10:30 am until 11:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
Jericho Beach is one of Vancouver’s most beautiful beaches. It’s just east of Locarno Beach. At the western edge of Jericho Beach is the Jericho Sailing Club and on the eastern side is the Vancouver Yacht Club. The addresses of those two places are 1300 Discovery Street and 3811 Point Grey Road, respectively.
Admission to the Festival
Ticket prices for the Vancouver Folk Music Festival vary depending on how many days you wish to attend, your age, and when you buy your tickets. Full weekend passes are available starting at Holiday Rates, which are the lowest prices offered. Those rates were available until 11:59 pm on December 31st, 2025.
2026 Holiday Rate Full Weekend Tickets
Below were the Holiday Rate prices for full weekend passes in 2026.
- Adults: $189
- Seniors (ages 65+): $179
- Youth: $139
- Children (ages 12 and under): free when accompanied by a paying adult
Full Weekend Tickets
Regular (non-holiday) pricing for 2026 full weekend passes is a jump up from the early bird deals. What’s listed below is still called “advance” pricing, meaning that if you buy right before the festival it’s likely to be more expensive.
- Adults: $250
- Seniors (ages 65+): $220
- Students (ages 20+ with ID): $165
- Youth (ages 13 to 19): $165
- Children (ages 12 and under): free when accompanied by a paying adult
Friday Evening Tickets
Below are Friday evening ticket prices for the 2026 Vancouver Folk Music Festival, as of mid-June.
- Adults: $85
- Seniors (ages 65+): $70
- Students (ages 20+ with ID): $45
- Youth (ages 13-19): $45
- Children (ages 12 and under): free when accompanied by a paying adult
Saturday and Sunday Tickets
Below are single-day ticket prices for Saturday and Sunday in 2026, as of mid-June.
- Adults: $150
- Seniors (65+): $125
- Students (ages 20+ with ID): $90
- Youth (ages 13-19): $90
- Children (ages 12 and under): free when accompanied by a paying adult
2026 Printed Program Guide
Printed festival program guides are available for pre-order when purchasing tickets. The printed guide includes schedules, artist information, and festival details.
- Program Guide: $10
Visit the official Vancouver Folk Music Festival website for tickets and full details about the concerts.
Concert Lineup and Schedule
The Vancouver Folk Music Festival attracts some fairly big names in the folk music world. If you really like folk music, you will likely have heard of a number of each year’s performers. If you like folk music but aren’t seriously into it, however, then you might have heard of one or two. And even if you’ve never heard of anyone before, we bet you’ll like tons of new music at the event. There are so many concerts and workshops to enjoy throughout the festival each year.
Local Vancouver area artists performing at the festival in 2026 include Cousin Harley, Empanades Ilegales, Haley Blais, and Luke Wallace. Other artists from BC include Gamksimoon, Lindi Ortega, Ruby Waters and Surf Hat. Canadian artists from further afield include Aysanabee, Brianna Lizotte, El Balcón, Kazdoura, La Déferlance, Slocan Ramblers and Tami Neilson.
American artists at the festival in 2026 include Anna Tivel, Jeffrey Martin, Ken Pomeroy, Ruby Singh and The Future Ancestors (featuring Arthur Flowers from BC), and Valerie June.
Other international artists include Amistat (Germany/Australia), Bia Ferreira (Brazil), Billy Bragg (UK), BIM “Bénin International Musical” (Benin, Africa), Brìghde Chaimbeul (Isle of Skye/Scotland), Hazlett (Australia), John Smith (Somerset, UK), Joshua Burnside (Belfast, N. Ireland), Maruja Limón (Barcelona, Spain), Mitsune (Japan/Germany), Sahra Halgan (Somalialand, Africa), Sauljaljui (Pingtung, Taiwan), Teddy Thompson (UK), Tina Dico (Denmark), and Yagody (Lviv, Ukraine).
Below is the full performance schedule for 2026.
Note: Performer details are subject to change. See the official Vancouver Folk Music Festival website for the latest details.
Friday July 17th (2026) Concerts
Friday Evening Concerts on the MAIN STAGE
- 5:50 pm – Musqueam Welcome
- 6:00 pm – Aysanabee
- 7:15 pm – Tina Dico
- 7:35 pm – Hazlett
- 9:10 pm – John Smith
- 9:30 pm – Sahra Halgan
Friday Concerts on the East Stage
- 3:00 pm – Haley Blais
- 4:30 pm – El Balcón
Friday Concerts on the West Stage
- 3:00 pm – Surf Hat
- 4:30 pm – Gamksimoon
Friday Concerts on South Stage
- 3:00 pm – Luke Wallace
- 4:30 pm – Sauljaljui
See the Vancouver Folk Music Festival website for the most up-to-date information.
Saturday July 18th (2026) Concerts and Workshops
Saturday Evening Concerts on the MAIN STAGE
- 5:50 pm – Musqueam Welcome
- 6:00 pm – Tami Neilson
- 7:15 pm – Joshua Burnside
- 7:35 pm – Billy Bragg
- 9:10 pm – Bia Ferreira
- 9:30 pm – Ruby Waters
Saturday Concerts and Workshops on the East Stage
- 10:00 am – Cascadia Dreaming
- 12:10 pm – Brighde Chaimbeul
- 1:40 pm – Teddy Thompson
- 3:10 pm – Jeffrey Martin
- 4:40 pm – La Déferlance
Saturday Concerts and Workshops on the West Stage
- 10:30 am – Yagódy
- 12:00 pm – Cousin Harley
- 1:30 pm – Bia Ferreira
- 3:05 pm – Kazdoura
- 4:40 pm – Global Ties That Bind
Saturday Concerts and Workshops on the South Stage
- 11:00 am – Eastern Sunrise
- 12:40 pm – Tina Dico
- 2:20 pm – Joshua Burnside
- 4:00 pm – Stories From Across The Pond
See the Vancouver Folk Music Festival website for the most up-to-date information.
Sunday July 19th (2026) Concerts and Workshops
Sunday Evening Concerts on the MAIN STAGE
- 5:50 pm – Musqueam Welcome
- 6:00 pm – Maruja Limón
- 7:15 pm – Ken Pomeroy
- 7:35 pm – Valerie June
- 9:10 pm – Luke Wallace
- 9:30 pm – BIM (Benin International Musical)
Sunday Concerts and Workshops on the East Stage
- 10:45 am – Anna Tivel
- 12:20 pm – Trad-ically Hip
- 1:55 pm – Ken Pomeroy
- 3:20 pm – Ruby Singh and the Future Ancestors
- 4:40 pm – The Slocan Ramblers
See the Vancouver Folk Music Festival website for full details about this event.
Sunday Concerts and Workshops on the West Stage
- 11:15 am – Mitsune
- 12:50 pm – Rock Out
- 2:40 pm – Empanadas Ilegales
- 4:25 pm – We Be Jammin’
Sunday Concerts and Workshops on South Stage
- 10:30 am – Rise Up and Sing
- 12:10 pm – John Smith
- 1:45 pm – Lindi Ortega
- 3:10 pm – Brianna Lizotte
- 4:35 pm – Amistat
What to Expect at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival
At the Vancouver Folk Music Festival, you can expect three days of amazing folk music performances by dozens of local, Canadian, and international singers and bands on multiple stages spread out over the lawns at the park by beautiful Jericho Beach.
In addition to live music across multiple stages, the festival offers a relaxed, community-focused atmosphere with food trucks, artisan vendors, and family-friendly programming. Popular features include artist workshops, where musicians come together to collaborate on creative themes, as well as three nights of main-stage concerts.
You can expect to see thousands of people in attendance. There are also special activities for children, like face painting and crafts. In past years, there’s been one beer garden. In 2025, however, there were several places where you could buy beer and wine. 2026 is likely to be similar.
Festival Beer Garden
Alcohol has been available at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival for many years, traditionally, within a beer garden area. In more recent editions of the festival, alcoholic beverages have been available from multiple on-site bars. Attendees can purchase drinks from different places on the grounds.
For 2026, festival-goers can once again expect a selection of beer and wine available at a few places on site
Visit thefestival.bc.ca for tickets and full details about this event.
Folk Music Festival Food
The Vancouver Folk Music Festival always has a great selection of food for sale – everything from healthy vegan dishes to ethnic cuisine, to junk food. There’s something for everyone, and it’s all so delicious.
At the 2026 festival, attendees can expect a diverse lineup of food trucks serving snacks, meals, and refreshments throughout the day and evening. Hot and cold drinks are also available at festival bars.
In the past, most of the food vendors were concentrated in a food court-type area in the northeast corner of the festival venue. In recent years they’ve been more spread out over a few different places.
Little Folks Village
The Little Folks Village at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival is full of fun activities for kids. The area is open from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm on Friday, and then from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday and Sunday.
There are arts and crafts, parachute games and other creative activities to try. The Little Folks Village also features live entertainment. Expect to see live music, juggling, storytelling and other performances. Kids aged 12 and under are admitted free when accompanied by a paying adult, making the festival an accessible option for families.
The Artisan Market
The Artisan Market at the festival usually features around three dozen vendors selling a wide range of beautiful and interesting items. At the market, you can find everything from handmade soaps to African drums and clothing. You’ll also find hats, bags, sunglasses and all kinds of jewellery.
Even if you’re not planning to buy anything, the Artisan Market is worth a wander, offering a lively atmosphere and a chance to discover local makers while taking a break between the music.
Click Artisan Market Community Village to learn more about the market.
Tips & Advice
Below are some tips to help you make the most of your Vancouver Folk Music Festival experience.
TIP #1: If you’ve never been to the Vancouver Folk Music Festival before, unless you really don’t like music, go! The evening headliner concerts alone are worth the price of a full day’s ticket.
TIP #2: If you order your tickets online at least three days in advance, you’ll save yourself a few dollars.
TIP #3: The festival is a cashless event. That means you’ll only be able to pay for things (like food, drinks, souvenirs and admission at the gate) with debit, Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Cards, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
TIP #4: In 2025, the Celebration of Light fireworks competition kicked off on Saturday, July 19th. Performances at the Vancouver Folk Music Festival likely paused so everyone can appreciate the fireworks display that night, and the view from Jericho Beach is actually pretty good! In 2026, however, the celebration of light is cancelled.
TIP #5: People say that in past years, when it has rained, the event was still incredible. Beautiful sunny weather for an outdoor music festival is ideal. If the weather isn’t perfect, though, don’t let that stop you.
See the Vancouver Folk Music Festival website for full details about the concerts.
Suggestions on What to Take
TIP #1: Take a water bottle. It can be hot at Jericho Beach in July and the festival provides water stations where you can refill your bottle. And if you think you’ll really need cooling off, take your swimsuit too – the ocean can be freezing cold, but Jericho Beach is one of Vancouver’s finest. Also, time your dip in the water when the tide is coming in. If the sand is hot, the water warms remarkably.
TIP #2: Take public transit if you can, or ride your bike, because with thousands of festival-goers all in the same place, parking can be challenging. Take good walking shoes and don’t be surprised if you have to walk a considerable distance. If driving, go early and try your luck. Or, if you can, put bicycles on your bike rack and plan to park and then cycle.
TIP #3: There are bicycle parking locations near both the West and East Gates by West 4th Avenue. You can leave your bike there for a donation. The parking areas are secure and supervised, and you’ll get a ticket you can use to pick up your bike later.
TIP #4: Leave your pets at home. Dogs are not permitted, unless they are service dogs.
Vancouver Folk Music Festival Videos
Below is a short video clip from a few years ago showing people having fun at the festival to give you an idea of what to expect. Below that is another video featuring scenes from the 2023 festival.
And here is what the festival looked like in 2023.
Other Information
See the Vancouver Folk Music Festival website for further information on the festival in general.
Check out Vancouver’s Best Places’ July Calendar for other great events taking place this same month, or the Vancouver Festival Calendar for a list of the Lower Mainland’s other top events and festivals.
Click Free Summer Concerts for a list of other music venues in July and August.
Other articles that might be of interest include the following:
- Vancouver Shows and Entertainment
- Mission Folk Music Festival
- Vancouver’s Best Beaches
- Vancouver on a Budget
- Vancouver Nightclubs and Music Venues
The Vancouver Folk Music Festival takes place at Jericho Beach in Vancouver, on the unceded, traditional territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) and hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Musqueam) Coast Salish Peoples.
