we are the folk

Another wonderful year at the Vancouver Folk Fest! Mark and I enjoyed the Friday nite show and all day Saturday as some quality couple time relaxin' at a number of great workshop stages. When a diverse group of artists get together and start jamming to each others music for an hour I am always in heaven...add the beauty of Jericho beach park and a wide array of fabulous folk to the mix and you have the recipe for my ultimate summer addiction ;)


Though I liked every performance and group we saw, I'd say my two new faves from this year were Mr. Something Something and Bellowhead - amazing stage performers and great music!

The other thing we took advantage of was an item of great contraversy for the folk fest fans...the beer garden! After more than 30 years as a dry event (aside from all the mixed drinks smuggled in discretely every year by many) the Vancouver Folk Fest finally included a beer garden as an extra source of revenue. Some years of bad management (at least this is my impression) left the fest in some dire financial straights, and though they have bounced back, they are still quite in the hole. So, even though many were opposed to the idea it happened anyway. Mark and I are totally the kind of people who will enjoy a drink or two in a beer garden when we are at events sans children...so we weren't as opposed as some to the trial this year.

And we didn't find it really interfered much for us. Some people told us they were bothered by the extra police presence on top of the usual volunteer security staff we're used to seeing around. I only noticed them near the entrance to the beer garden, but I understand the concerns of others who felt their presence more than I did. I think the important thing though is that it really didn't interfere with the overall safe and fun environment for all ages we've come to love...so if it helps the fest stay afloat I'm very much in favour if it staying on. And if we're lucky enough to have a grown up play day again next year we will likely be in the garden for one or two bevvies while enjoying the music on the main stage.

Our family day was Sunday and we had a great time with Sasha running around - not so much a relaxin day with the little one...but still wonderfull fun :D


Sasha loved it when we ran into our friends Joanne and Dan and their daughter Saskia. The two of them hugged each other a bunch and chased each other around and were generally too adorable for words.

We had some beach time fun in the sand and chasing waves (though Sasha really doesn't like seaweed touching her feet so that was a short game). My highlight was some quality time with Kristina at a workshop stage featuring a great line up of female artists titled "A Wise Woman Once Told Me"...and when I came back to meet Mark and Sasha I found her snoozing in his arms in the shade of Stage 2. sweet.

Sasha will hang out a stage now and then with us, especially when she's in the mood to boogy, but otherwise we spent a lot of time following her lead. Playing in the water area (I love that the folk fest has so much to do for the little ones!), ring-around-the-rosy in the food area while mommy waits in line, and more fun with Saskia later in the day...2 children + a ball = fun for other children to join in too!






We were welcomed onto the giant tarp near the stage that was staked out by our co-op neighbours (including Kristina, Thomas and Keyan) and grooving with all of them was a great end to the family day at the fest for another year. :)