Summerfolk (Photo by Nathan Shubert)
Final preparations are underway to get Kelso Beach at Nawash Park ready for the annual Summerfolk event this weekend.
Artistic Director James Keelaghan says Summerfolk 49, which will run Friday to Sunday, will feature a number of unique performers, local craft and food vendors, family events, and workshops.
He says the festivities will kick off at the Down by the Bay tent on Friday evening with a Youth Discoveries Showcase.
“We have got the winners of our Youth Discoveries program this year doing a special concert to start the festival off. That evening ends with a fantastic band called Kaláscima,” says Keelaghan.
Other performers this year include Andrina Turenne, Meteor Heist, Ego Spank, Nora Stephens, and more.
Keelaghan says one of the highlights to keep an eye out for this weekend includes Élage Diouf, a Senegalese born singer-songwriter, performer, and percussionist.
“He is just the most infectious act you have ever seen in your life. If you remain on your tuchus during his set, then you are just not human, he can get everybody to dance,” says Keelaghan.
There will also be a family village set up for children to enjoy puppet shows and musical performances.
Attendees can also participate in several workshops and other events, including learning how to play the washboard and the spoons, as well as interviews and a memoir reading.
Keelaghan says he hopes this year to be another busy event.
“Which means we would be back to our 2018 numbers, which would mean 3,200 paying people in the park everyday,” says Keelaghan.
Ticket information and the full event schedule can be found on the Summerfolk website here.