The lineup for the 2024 Mission Folk Music Festival was released on April 2, and includes a stellar collection of music artists and groups.
The 37nd annual festival takes place July 26-28 at Fraser River Heritage Park.
This year’s festival offers a widely diverse roster of talented artists and groups from across Canada, the US, and beyond. More than 20 acts will perform at daytime stages and on the evening main stage in the park.
“We’ve offered folks a passport to a world of music for 37 years, and this summer is no different,” said Artistic Director Michelle Demers Shaevitz.
“We’re excited to invite music lovers from near and far to join us in Fraser River Heritage Park for a weekend full of folk songs, blues riffs, Celtic tunes, Americana sounds, global rhythms and more.
“This year we’re thrilled to welcome a diverse collection of singer-songwriters, artists, musicians, dancers, and teachers whose influences are rooted here in Canada and around the world. Audiences will hear Indigenous throat singers and bluegrass musicians, the voices of powerful women, Trinidadian rhythms, Swedish folk tunes – and so much more. Festival-goers can also find their own folk and experience the wonder of crankies, participate in workshops, have family fun with Wee Folks activities, sing out in our Festival Choir and join in a contra dance session.”
Weekend passes, single day and evening tickets are on sale now at Early Bird prices. The deadline for purchasing tickets at this discount rate is June 3rd, 2024. On June 4th, ticket prices increase to the Advance rate.
For information and tickets, visit:
MAIN STAGE:
The festival’s Evening Main Stage concert lineups offer a chance to experience many of the festival artists in one sitting. It’s a perfect way to spend a summer’s evening.
(lineup subject to change)
Friday, July 26:
Indigenous Welcome, Fränder, Crys Matthews, Conor Gains, Hot Damn Scandal.
Saturday, July 27:
Big Little Lions, PIQSIQ, Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton, Devin Cuddy Band, Kobo Town.
Sunday, July 28:
Mia Kelly, Jackson Hollow, Catherine MacLellan, Shauit.
Everything kicks off Friday night, July 26 with the first main stage concert. Saturday and Sunday (July 27 and 28) sees collaborative workshops, concerts and dances on four daytime stages and performance areas, with a showcase of artists on the evening main stage both days. Every year is exciting, and this year’s lineup offers festival-goers a chance to really connect with the music through participatory workshops, the Festival Choir, contra dancing and weekend jams. The festival also offers interactive activities for Wee Folks.
In addition to the great tunes in a beautiful environment, there are both Food Court and Artisan Market vendors and a licensed, shaded Beer Garden on site.
Attendees can also choose to camp in the park for an additional fee.
More than 300 enthusiastic and dedicated community volunteers ensure the festival runs smoothly.
“We produce our festival so folks from near and far can experience and celebrate amazing artists, their music, traditions, cultures and perspectives. When we all come together, outside, in a beautiful natural setting and a welcoming community, something special happens. We invite everyone to come and Find Your Folk,” said Demers Shaevitz.
About the artists:
Big Little Lions (BC/OH)
This duo’s music is “is a blissful marriage of new folk and sophisticated pop” – a mix of “soul, spirit and fun.”
Devin Cuddy Band (ON)
Devin and his band of musical aces deliver a contemporary brand of country-folk-rock, steeped in the legacy of rock’s founding fathers, honky-tonk heroes, Jelly Roll Morton and the kings of jazz.
Festival Choir (BC and everywhere)
Now in its 8th year, Mission Folk’s Festival Choir is a community-powered celebration of song that everyone is invited to join.
Fränder (Sweden/Estonia)
Among today’s most trendsetting Scandinavian bands, siblings Gabbi, Daniel, Natasja Dluzewska’s modern acoustic folk sound is rooted in the riches of Nordic tradition.
Conor Gains (ON)
An outside-the-box synthesis of Americana roots with classic soul, modern R&B, and the melodies of psychedelic southern pop/rock all bound together by an artist with an ear for jazz.
Gin and Tall Tales (BC)
This is original music from the heart. These Fraser Valley favourites perform a repertoire of their own tunes that span the realms of folk, jazz, pop and funk.
Ground Effect (BC)
Meet Vancouver’s newest contra dance band, presenting both perennial favourites and original tunes in energetic arrangements that will cause liftoff.
Hot Damn Scandal (WA)
One of Bellingham’s most creative and popular bands, Hot Damn’s sound is a distinctive blend of blues, vintage jazz, folk and Americana tied together by gritty vocals and cynical, absurdist lyrics.
Jackson Hollow (BC)
Come hear pure bluegrass played with a unique freshness and vibrancy - “simple, powerful and instantly magnetic”. This is a band on the rise!
Mia Kelly (QC)
A poetic lyricist with a powerful and versatile voice, Kelly’s sound is a distinctive blend of folk, rock, and blues, with a knack for adapting the stories of people she connects with in her expertly crafted tunes.
Kobo Town (ON/Trinidad)
This entrancing JUNO-winning Trinidad/Canadian band has been described as “an intoxicating blend of lilting calypsonian wit, dancehall reggae and trombone-heavy brass” (Guardian).
Graham Lindsey (ON)
Lindsey writes and plays inventive and dynamic Celtic tunes in a centuries-old tradition, his masterful playing of mandolin, tenor banjo, guitar and other instruments attracts audiences like a musical magnet.
Crys Matthews (NC)
Already being hailed as “the next Woody Guthrie,” Crys Matthews is among the brightest stars of the new generation of social justice music-makers.
Catherine MacLellan (PEI)
From heart-wrenching ballads to uplifting anthems, MacLellan’s music has a universal appeal that speaks to the struggles, triumphs, and joys of life.
Moira & Clare (NS)
This multi-award-nominated sister duo writes lighthearted, indie folk-pop songs – and their voices harmonizing w/ the kind of familial magic that only genes and living together your entire life can achieve.
Gillian Moranz (BC)
A passionately independent wordsmith whose smoky vocals weave through the cracks of poetic fragments where hard-earned lyrics uncover the profound that’s hidden in plain sight. -
The Marcus Mosely Ensemble (BC)
Under the direction of a towering figure in BC music and the arts, the Ensemble is a small, versatile group with a broad repertoire and a full, glorious, chill-up-your-spine gospel sound.
The Pairs (ON)
Powered by soaring sister harmonies, The Pairs is a quirky trio with an unbottled chemistry that quickly connects them to whatever audience is lucky enough to sit in front of them.
Jerron “Blind Boy” Paxton (CA)
Influenced by the likes of Fats Waller and “Blind” Lemon Jefferson, Paxton is possessed of the uncanny ability to transform traditional jazz, blues, folk, and country into the here and now.
PIQSIQ (NWT)
Sisters Tiffany Ayalik and Inuksuk Mackay create and perform Inuit-style throat singing – both ancient traditional songs and eerie new compositions.
Podorythmie (WA)
High energy, good time performances of French Canadian music and dance with fiddle, accordion, songs and lots of hard shoe step dancing interspersed with crankie (moving panorama) shows.
Recychestra with Boris Sichon (BC)
Mission’s Musical Maestro, the incomparable Boris Sichon, leads an orchestra of musical instruments created from recycled materials. Instrument makers become players in this unique and pioneering recycled orchestra.
Shauit (QC)
Singing in Creole, French, English, and in his own Innu-aimun language, Shauit’s songs are honest, sometimes political, reflections on his life, culture and worldview.
Etienne Siew (BC)
Siew crafts his music from the beauty of the West Coast and the forests of BC. His life experiences and imaginative tales are woven into his songs of love, loss and triumph over adversity,
Strong Bow & Wry (BC)
Jennie Bice and Tony O’Hara deliver the best of everything from rock to folk, roots, funk and blues through sizzling fiddle and cheeky wit!
Jesse Waldman & Beau Wheeler (BC)
Two remarkable BC singers and songwriters, both having made waves in the folk, blues and roots music scenes in the province. have joined their considerable forces.
Young Artist Showcase (BC)
A special gathering of young people who have worked hard to learn and develop their songwriting and performance skills with the assistance of two inspired and creative teachers.