Claiming the title of Alberta's longest-running folk music festival, the Canmore Folk Music Festival is gorgeously situated in the Rocky Mountains. Taking place in Canmore's Centennial Park, it's one of the majestic places on earth to take in some tunes on a summer day.
Running August 3 to 5, the Canmore Folk Music Festival will bring a few dozen acts to the mountain town. Below, find Exclaim!'s choices for the five must-see acts of the festival. See the full lineup, and find ticketing options, over at the festival's website.
Blue Rodeo
A staple of the Canadian music biz for 40 years, country rock heroes Blue Rodeo are showing no signs of slowing down. They've released 16 albums, most recently 2021's Many a Mile, not to mention lots of solo releases from the members. With so many shows under their belt, there are few acts more experienced at commanding a festival crowd.
Jeremy Dutcher
Jeremy Dutcher stunned audiences with his 2018 debut, Wolastoqiyik Lintuwakonawa, which combined his classical opera training with the traditional songs of his Wolastoq community. He expanded his sonic palette on 2023's Motewolonuwok while remaining entirely spellbinding and singular, making any performance an absolute must-see.
Dan Mangan
Nearly two decades since his debut album, Vancouver staple Dan Mangan isn't simply a songwriter — he's a full-blown storyteller, regaling audiences with anecdotes that contextualize his tender folk rock tunes. Whether fronting a full band or performing as a solo acoustic troubadour, Mangan's presence is magnetic.
Lido Pimienta
A one-of-a-kind artist and outspoken cultural critic, Lido Pimienta has branched out as an artist to host her own variety show. Last year, she vowed to only release one more album and never do full-scale touring again — meaning that any opportunity to see her live is not to be missed.
Leith Ross
Viral TikTok success doesn't always translate into a real-world music career — but that's thankfully not the case for Ottawa-born/Winnipeg-based artist Leith Ross, whose song "We'll Never Have Sex" popped off in 2021. They've since parlayed that into an IRL record deal, releasing To Learn last year.