haven't missed one since.
Hilary Mandel
Posted: Jul 13th, 2010
I have so many memories of the Folk Festival, but the one that stands
out most for me is the moment I realized that there was nowhere in
the world I wanted to live more than Vancouver. I was looking out at
the water and the mountains and I literally heard the call.
I'm sure a lot of people have had similar experiences on beautiful
sunny days here at the beach really, who wouldn't? but I'm glad I
followed through and actually made the move from California. I often
respond, when asked the inevitable question, that I moved to
Vancouver because of the Folk Fest. But, really, it's because of what
the Folk Fest represents to me. More than the natural beauty or the
abundance of talent, it all comes down to the sense of community I
experience at the Festival, the same sense that carries with me
living in this city throughout the year.
The Folk Fest is where I see just about everyone I know in
Vancouver. Since 2004, when I was a Folk Fest "virgin," I've
attended every Folk Fest weekend with my "chosen family" in
Vancouver, my two best boyfriends who are married and have an adopted
daughter, now eight years old. "The Boyz" (my collective name for
their family) introduced me to the Folk Fest rituals they'd formed
over the years, and which I've integrated as my own.
First and foremost, we always buy the full weekend ticket. None of
this picking and choosing about which day to go. Contrary to what
others may say, regular life does NOT carry on over Folk Fest
weekend. It is as sacred to me as the Jewish High Holidays, meaning
unless there were an extraordinary reason to miss it (e.g., a death
in the family), it's on my calendar a year in advance. The nice
thing about committing early is that the Festival offer great advance
deals, and if you're a Festival member (which I am), you get an even
better discount. I got a weekend pass for $95 that's three nights
and two days of incredible music for less than a single ticket for
"The Lion King".
Entering the Festival gates for the first time on Friday night
feels just like entering Disneyland's "Magic Kingdom" did when I was
a kid… there's truly something other-worldly about the place once you
step inside. The Boyz and I usually arrive after the evening concert
has already started, so we miss the rush of the crowds when the gates
first open and, after dropping our blanket in the vicinity of the
main stage, head to the food court.
But wait, did I say "the rush of the crowds"? Though it was
supposedly curtailed a few years back, the "Birkenstock 500" is still
around in spirit. The B-500 is named for the hippie crowd (remember,
this Festival goes back to the 70's) that literally sprinted to
secure their places by the main stage. Apparently some of the
old-timers had a "take no prisoners" approach to the process, and a
few years ago, the organizers had to disallow running when the gates
opened because people were getting hurt from all the jostling.
Having been at the gate for the last couple years as it opens on
weekend mornings, I've observed that these same folks will speed walk
until they're out of range of the poor volunteers assigned to monitor
them, and then, well, they can't seem to help themselves… the sprint
and jostling begins for the spots closest to the stage. We're
talking old-timers here, people… I'm in my mid-40's, and I'm one of
the kids in the crowd. Old habits die hard, I guess. There's some
method in this madness, though… the location of one's blanket (or
gigantic tarp, if you're like most) is key because the main stage is
huge and, if you can handle the crowds, most will agree that it's
usually more fun to be closer to live music.
No matter where it lands, your blanket is your home turf for the
whole day. You can leave all of your belongings (backpacks with
warmer clothes for the night, extra snacks, etc.) lying there and,
according to popular wisdom, they will remain safe and secure. This
is one of the "magical" parts of the Folk Fest, the unspoken
understanding that we are all part of the same community, a community
where we respect each other and each other's "stuff." Perhaps I'm
just cynical from living most of my life in big American cities, but
I do wonder if or when that culture will change. At the same time,
I'm optimistic that the younger crowds who are coming in greater and
greater numbers reflect a strong sense of community too, and that
this culture of respect will continue both within and outside of the
festival gates for many generations to come.
Back to the food, the most delicious festival grub I've ever
encountered awaits us each year at the Folk Fest. No corn dogs or
cotton candy, no sir. Instead, there's sumptuous selections from
around the world, including a fair bit of organic offerings. Lots of
people have the foresight to bring their own meals, but the best my
crowd can usually do is to pick up snacks to graze on. We leave the
"real deal" meals to the fabulous food vendors, and usually nab a
whale tale or gelato (no, it's not ALL healthy!) to go with our Salt
Spring Coffee after dinner. For those so inclined, there's a beer garden too.
Of course, the real draw for most people is the music… funny I
should save that for last, but in some ways, it's the part of the
Folk Fest I focus least on, even though I love it just as much as the
next person. There's just SO much music going on all day long, on
seven (count 'em, seven) stages all at once, that there's nowhere you
can be in or around Jericho Beach without hearing something
great. The variety of musicians is astounding, and each year, I come
away with several CDs from the CD tent (yes, they still sell ye old
compact discs for the geezers like me in the crowd) by artists I'd
never heard of before hearing them there. Unless your musical taste
is really narrow, I'd wager to say there's something on the schedule
that will please your ears.
Every year as we walk through the gates on Friday night, The Boyz
and I buy a program and start pouring through the descriptions of the
artists who'll be appearing over the weekend. There's quite a bit to
ingest this year, for example, there are 65 artists and groups
appearing. While all the artist information is posted weeks ahead of
time on the Folk Festival's website (http://thefestival.bc.ca/), I
never get around to doing my "homework" beforehand, so I end up
relying on word-of-mouth recommendations, and often just follow
random friends I happen to run into to the next stage they're headed towards.
Each stage has its own flavour, though the genre distinctions
aren't necessarily clear-cut. This much I know -- Stage 1 is the
family-friendly place to be. It's right by the activity area for
kids, where they can do arts and crafts, get their faces painted or
climb a rock wall. Honestly, not having kids, I'm not sure of
everything that's there, but I hear it's a great area if you
do! Generally, my friends with little kids tend to set up their
"camps" on the grassy knoll (no, not that grassy knoll) that's right
smack in the middle of the park, where there's lots of shade, it's
not too crowded, and the kids can rest and play with each other
during the day. Seems like a smart idea.
Stages 2 and 3, in the southwest and eastern sections of the park,
have lots of shade. Sure, the music's always great too, but on sunny
days, the nearby trees make those two stages especially
popular. Like all the stages, there's a mixture of single artist (or
group) concerts and multi-artist workshops. I often find the
multi-artists mixings provide the most exciting highlights of the
weekend, as those improvised collaborations can produce out-of-this-world jams.
The other stages are spread out across the rest of the park to the
north and west. In the past, Stages 6 and 7 have seemed to attract
more upbeat music… I've got lots of crazy fun memories of me and The
Boyz dancing our little feet off to world grooves (banghara, etc.) in
the late afternoon sun.
I'm sure that by not scheduling my days more deliberately, I always
miss some great music. Even if I tried (and yes, I used to), it's
simply impossible to be everywhere I want to be at once. I've come to
appreciate that the Folk Festival is, at its essence, about flow…
being in the moment, moving to where I'm drawn, soaking in diversity,
running into friends, and being part of my chosen family in the city
where I now choose to live. Flow, music, food, friends and family…
throw in the beauty of the setting, and for me, it all adds up to
community. My community.
.
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