Picture one paid staff member and 300 volunteers getting a folk festival ready in an Edmonton park in August 1980. That is how the Edmonton Folk Music Festival started, according to its own story, and the first one ran 8 to 10 August at Gold Bar Park.
The idea came with a birthday attached. Don Whalen set the festival up at the urging of Alberta Culture for the province’s 75th anniversary. Alberta turned 75 in 1980, so the festival is basically a birthday present that never left.
It moved to Gallagher Park in 1981, and by 1991 attendance had reached 40,000.
Where it stands now
The festival’s website says it now counts more than 2,600 volunteers, up from those first 300. Terry Wickham is listed as producer and selects the artists. The mission statement promises diverse, affordable folk music, and the site says the team works to keep ticket prices accessible for families.
The most recent edition on the site ran 6 to 9 August 2026. Check the festival’s about page for what comes next.
Calgary has its own folk and festival stories to set beside this one. Read how Folk Fest took over Prince’s Island Park and how Calgary jazz started as a one day party. Then book your August around the Edmonton one.
Alberta radio belongs in the same conversation, so read how CKUA started in a university basement.
Related reading from us: A Motors and Music night backed Not In My City with live performances and The Banff Mountain Film Festival Began With Climbers in a Basement.
Quick answers
The Edmonton Folk Music Festival started in 1980 with one staff member and 300 volunteers. Its first edition ran 8 to 10 August 1980 at Gold Bar Park, and it moved to Gallagher Park in 1981, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia and the festival’s own site.
Don Whalen established the festival at the urging of Alberta Culture, as part of marking Alberta’s 75th anniversary in 1980, according to The Canadian Encyclopedia. Today the festival lists Terry Wickham as producer, responsible for selecting its artists.
The festival’s website says it has a volunteer force of more than 2,600, up from 300 volunteers in 1980. It is a charitable not for profit society, and its stated aim is to keep folk music affordable and accessible, including for families.
Sources: Edmonton Folk Music Festival, About Us; The Canadian Encyclopedia, Edmonton Folk Music Festival.
