Volunteer

The Calgary Folk Music Festival (CFMF) was founded in 1980 and is produced by the not-for-profit Folk Festival Society of Calgary (FFSC).

This annual family-friendly musical extravaganza takes place on the last weekend of each July; and has been held at Calgary's Prince’s Island Park since its inception. Diverse programming presents 70 some artists across seven stages; ranging from local favourites to international artists, there is sure to be something for everyone. Come be a part of the magic and join the community of over 50,000 Calgarians and tourists as we gather for good music and great times! 

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"Thank you! This is such an amazing event and I appreciate that there is diversity in the music that's played. My 14 year old didn't want to come with me and as we sat at a stage on Sunday he turned to me and said - Mom, this band is on my playlist! He had a totally different definition and expectation of what folk music could include. It was a magical moment; he had the biggest grin and will come happily next year!"

- 2022 Volunteer

Returning Volunteers

You will be receiving an email when it is time to confirm your intentions. Please log-in here. Returning volunteers have until March 26 for guaranteed placement on their current crews. Starting March 27th, transfer requests will be processed. 

New Volunteers

We will begin to accept new volunteer applications starting March 18th. First you will have to complete an orientation and sign the volunteer contract, and then you will be able to apply to a crew. Click here for instructions to apply.

We have volunteer opportunities starting at age 13 (you must be 13 on the day of your first volunteer shift). You can join the following crews when you are:

• 13+: Environment, Pot Washing, Snack Bar/Beverage
• 14+: Food Servers
• 15+: Cold Food, Music & Merch
• 16+: Instrument Lock-Up, Stores, Folk Buddies, Family Area, Lamp Lighters, Signage,  Eco Set-Up & Strike

Our volunteer commitments run 16-24 hours during the festival. Therefore, if you only work on the weekend you would be volunteering a minimum of 8 hours each day. 

We would recommend joining the Festival Parties crew (which work our volunteer parties Sat/Sun), or checking out some of our pre-festival crews to get your hours in beforehand. Otherwise, we welcome you back next year.

Let your crew coordinator know as soon as you do! Send an email to both your crew coordinator and vsupport@calgaryfolkfest.com so we can make arrangements to run without you.

Click here for instructions on how to confirm your 2024 CFMF volunteer intentions.

Returning volunteers in good standing are guaranteed placement on their crews until March 26, 2024.After that date, folks are still welcome to return, but may have to transfer to another area if their crew becomes full. Volunteers who have been marked as ‘recontact’ for 2+ consecutive years are automatically marked as ‘discontinue contact.’ If this has happened to you, and you want to return, please contact vsupport@calgaryfolkfest.com and we will help you register for an orientation and reactivate your account.

Returning volunteers are guaranteed placement on their original crews until March 26, 2024. After that date, we will start to accept transfer requests. This may take some time depending on the crew; some teams require interviews, certifications, etc. Returning volunteers requesting to transfer have crew placement priority over new volunteers.

Once you have confirmed your 2024 intentions, your Crew Coordinator will contact you with further team details.

Your first point of contact should always be your Crew Coordinator. If you can’t get a hold of your Crew Coordinator, please contact vsupport@calgaryfolkfest.com.

Click here for instructions on how to log into the volunteer portal.

Click here for instructions on how to update your contact information.

Click here for instructions on how to change your email address.

Click here for instructions on how to confirm your 2024 CFMF volunteer intentions.

Click here for instructions on how to request a crew transfer.

Within the CFMF's building, Festival Hall (FH), we are able to present the diverse indie, roots, traditional, and world music the Festival is known for, all year round. Not to mention private booking such as weddings, speaking events and birthdays.

Directly recruiting from our loyal CFMF volunteer base, the Festival Hall Volunteer Program operates with over 40 people on our mailing list. We rely on the support of our volunteers to help us run a variety of events throughout the year, including concerts, orientations, and meetings.

We are not currently accepting applications for the FH Volunteer Program. Existing FH volunteers will be contacted with season updates and volunteer opportunities as they arise.

Block Heater is an annual winter music extravaganza that brings together diverse programming in the heart of Calgary’s downtown and Inglewood. We just wrapped up our 9th edition.

Thursday, February 15 - Saturday, February 17, 2024

We are not currently accepting applications for the Block Heater volunteer program. We will provide an update on BH volunteer opportunities in Fall 2024.