Rambunctious youth and an extended weekend of folk music may seem like a recipe for disaster, but for Folk Fest, it’s a successful cultural festival powered by swarms of Ottawa students.
The four-day-long festival starts Sept. 4 and is widely considered Ottawa’s student festival. With sure-to-be-popular acts like Kendrick Lamar, Shad, and Vampire Weekend, organizers said they went to great lengths to reach out to students and plan the lineup accordingly.
“The decision to move the festival to the first weekend of September, after Labour Day, instead of before, came about because there are so many students back at Carleton, U of O, and Algonquin,” said Joe Reilly, Folk Fest and RBC Bluesfest spokesperson.
“When you factor in all those returning students you also have to make sure the lineup is more acceptable to a younger audience.”
After Reilly attended Osheaga this year, he said he found it interesting that younger audience members flocked to the younger artists and created a different feel to the festival. By creating buzz via social media and campus advertising, Reilly said he hopes Folk Fest crowds will be just as enthusiastic.
Carleton’s Student Experience Office (SEO) offers complimentary passes to first-years for the Saturday festival day. The Carleton University Students’ Association also sells passes for Sept. 6 at a discounted rate to students.
Jeremy Brzozowski, the manager of the SEO, said the office offered the passes last year and would again be adding them to the frosh package.
“We chose to do it last year as a great way to offer additional value to those who are registering in the program and we felt it would be a great showcase of artistic talents of a wide variety of genres,” he said.
With the festival taking place at Hog’s Back, Carleton students, especially those living on campus, are at a definite advantage.
As Folk Fest grows, Reilly said it’s important the festival develops a newer and younger audience each year.
“If you’re new in town—at Carleton or any of the universities—a festival is a great way to get out and meet people,” Reilly said.
“It’s a great atmosphere and it’s a great way to kick off the school year.”
