It’s rare for organizers to advise people to get their Mariposa Folk Festival tickets before they’re gone, but that’s the case this year as sales are heating up.
For the first time since the festival introduced camping five or six years ago, it has run out of spaces, filling about 1,000 spots.
“One thousand will be more than we’ve ever had before,” said Mariposa Folk Foundation manager Chris Hazel, noting there were about 800 spots last year. “We decided to cap it so we could create the best experience for campers.”
The story is similar for ticket sales. The festival has been seeing an upward trend over the past couple of years, and this weekend’s event is no different.
Last year, ticket sales were up about 40 per cent over 2016, and “we are well ahead of last year’s pace” for sales, said Hazel.
“It’s pretty extraordinary that our biggest concern is capacity because we’ve become so popular,” he said.
Last year, about 25,000 people were at the festival over the course of the weekend. This year, the festival is expecting about 1,000 more tickets will be sold.
The spike in attendance at last year’s festival wasn’t much of a surprise. The foundation received additional grant funding because it was Canada’s 150th birthday. The money was used to bring in some big-name acts, and organizers tightened their focus on Canadian talent.
This year, the festival has increased its budget by $50,000, and they believe it will pay off. They’re banking on some more big names this year, including Walk Off the Earth, Bahamas, Alan Doyle, Buffy Sainte-Marie, and Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets.
“It’s a combination of momentum from last year and new people coming this year,” Hazel said of the strong sales.
The festival continues to cater to a variety of musical tastes. The “legendary and iconic” Valdy, Hazel noted, will attract the folk fans, while Walk Off the Earth will bring in a younger crowd.
“People have a favourite artist and some of them can’t believe we aren’t advertising their favourite artist in bold,” he said. “That’s a sign that we’re getting to all sorts of different demographics and musical tastes.”
The focus is also on families this year. There will be a “huge expansion” of the popular Folkplay area, Hazel explained. More activities and attractions will be featured in the kids’ zone, including hula hoop instruction, stilt walkers and “live karaoke,” allowing people to sing their favourite songs while being backed up by a band.
Hazel’s prediction: “It’s going to be the biggest and best festival ever.”
The festival, at Tudhope Park, will start Friday and wrap up Sunday night.
For more information, and to get tickets, visit mariposafolk.com or call the Mariposa Folk Foundation office at 705-326-3655.
