Summer Serenades
Come together, safely apart
The Calgary Folk Music Festival’s 42nd annual event will look different in 2021. Rather than a multi-staged festival, we’re producing an outdoor concert series, Summer Serenades, presented by ATB, at Prince’s Island Park July 22 - 28
We invite you to this grassroots community gathering as we work closely with The City of Calgary and Alberta Health Services to ensure a safe and fun live music experience for all in attendance. Mandatory masking and social distancing protocols will be in effect throughout the grounds. With a significantly reduced (15% of normal) audience, Summer Serenades is a small step on the road to recovery for the Festival, live music and the arts. Its programming supports local and Canadian artists and the entire cultural ecosystem: technicians, production and site companies, agents, managers, publicists and other arts workers.
Tickets on sale now!
Like a zoom concert, but in person!
Chill under the big Alberta sky at the picturesque Prince’s Island Park and revel in live concerts with a diverse collection of enticing Canadian artists in the evenings plus matinee performances Saturday and Sunday afternoon. For long-time folkies, the tarps have returned! You and your party will be seated on tarp plots, with a 2-metre distance between each tarp and generous pathways throughout the area.
Don't want to miss any of the action? We're partnering with the National Arts Centre and streaming Summer Serenades all week long on our YouTube channel via FolkFestTV! Tune in for live performances, artist interviews, special guests and more!
Artist highlights
Marquee artists from across Canada grace the concert series. For 35 years, alt-country stalwarts Cowboy Junkies have created intimate, universal music. Be among the indie queens waiting for Dan Mangan. Dance to Polaris Prize-winning Afro-Colombian queer powerhouse Lido Pimienta and The Halluci Nation’s signature electronic hip hop, moombahton and dubstep. Groove to the creations of Shad, a new standard bearer for positive rap, and DJ and producer Skratch Bastid. Expect cabaret, electro-pop and anthemic rock from Hawksley Workman and be warmed by Jim Cuddy, one of Canada’s most recognizable voices. Whitehorse are loved for guitar wizardry,
Let's work together
We have created a solid plan to bring our community back together, but we need your help! Our protocols are intended to help bring us all together as safely as possible while enjoying a magical live experience. Things will surely look different this year, but between our amazing artists, volunteers, staff and YOU — Summer Serenades is bound to be a small step towards recovery. Help support the entire cultural ecosystem and join us for an unforgettable week of programming.