Edmonton Folk Music Festival

Listed provision only. Facilities change between editions — confirm anything you depend on directly with the festival.

About Edmonton Folk Music Festival

The Edmonton Folk Music Festival takes over Gallagher Park, a hillside park in Edmonton's river valley near downtown, for four days every August. It is always held the weekend after the August long weekend and is run by the Edmonton Folk Music Festival Society. The hill forms a natural amphitheatre facing the main stage, and the festival says around 25,000 people a day come together there.

The next festival runs August 5 to 8, 2027. The 2026 edition ran August 6 to 9, and the society has also published dates for 2028 (August 10 to 13) and 2029 (August 9 to 12). Artists are usually announced in mid-May, and tickets go on sale in June through Front Gate Tickets and the festival office, so the 2027 lineup and prices are not out yet. By festival time in 2026, only Thursday tickets were still available.

Seating is your own: bring a tarp up to 8 by 10 feet and a low chair with a back no higher than 26 inches and a seat no higher than 8 inches. Main stage music runs in the evenings, plus a slot on weekend afternoons, while side stages host daytime sessions on Friday evening, Saturday and Sunday. Each day there is an optional gate lottery for earlier entry to place tarps on the main hill. Food vendors serve meals on reusable plates with a $1 deposit, there are water stations to refill your bottle, and the festival has an all-site licence. The bar is card only, other areas are cash light, and there are no ATMs on site. A family area runs games and crafts on weekend days.

There is no on-site parking or camping. Most people arrive by the Valley Line LRT, getting off at Muttart or Strathearn stations, or by bike to the free supervised lock-up behind the Muttart Conservatory. Rideshare and taxi drop-offs are on 98 Avenue. Reduced-rate parking at the University of Alberta was offered in 2026. Pets, glass, outside alcohol and professional cameras are not allowed.

Accessibility is taken seriously for an outdoor site with uneven ground. There is an accessibility volunteer crew, limited accessible parking and a DATS drop-off at the main gate, hearing loops at every stage with loaner receivers, an accessible change tent with an adult-sized change table, and a Calm Tent run by Autism Edmonton. The main stage has an accessible seating area with screens and wheelchair-accessible portable toilets. People who need a personal aide get in with one ticket for both.

Getting there

Gallagher Park, Edmonton, Alberta. Check the official site for transport and parking guidance.

Status

Active (next edition announced).

Planning

confirm dates, tickets and entry policies on the official website before travelling.

Accessibility

2026 information (2027 details not yet posted): Accessibility Volunteer Crew in blue shirts; limited first-come accessible parking near the main gate beside the Bennett Centre (government placard required); accessible drop-off for DATS and placard holders at the main gate; magnetic induction hearing loops at all stages, with loop receivers on loan from the Information Tent (deposit required); accessible change tent with adult-sized change table; Calm Tent with sensory equipment run by Autism Edmonton; main stage accessible seating area with monitors and wheelchair-accessible portable toilets; accessible areas with shade tents at stages 1, 3, 5 and 7 (stages 2 and 6 are on harder terrain); workshop schedules in Braille or large print at the Information Booth; one ticket admits a patron and their personal aide; registered service dogs welcome.

Edmonton Folk Music Festival in photos

Frequently asked

Contact the festival