Yellowknife – We’re thrilled to announce the first wave of artists for this year’s Folk on the Rocks (FOTR) music festival, July 18-20, 2025.
The North’s greatest party under the Midnight Sun, FOTR 2025 will bring together performers from the Northwest Territories (NWT), Yukon, Nunavut, across Canada and the globe. Our stages will have something for everyone – from rap, rock, rhythm and blues, to electronica and of course, the Yellowknives Dene Drummers.
The Main Stage Showdown is a talent show-style event that is open to all performing arts. The event is open to anyone (maximum of 10 slots), and performers will compete in sets of 10 minutes or less for a chance at the ultimate prize!
The winner will take home a $500 cash prize, artist passes for the festival weekend and a slot on the Lawson Lundell Main Stage during Folk On The Rocks 2025.
The judges for the Main Stage Showdown will consist of two Board members, media partners, and other community members
Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) is requesting proposals for the production of Festival merchandise for upcoming Festival(s). This includes a variety of merchandise for both promotional use and Festival retail sales.
Please click the link below for the full proposal.
Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) invites qualified contractors to submit their tender for the Beer Garden Stage Renovation Project on the Folk On The Rocks Site to take place over the course of 2025 and 2026. The selected contractor will be responsible for executing the construction work as per the approved architectural and engineering design documents.
OWL Passes are the ultimate way to experience Folk On The Rocks! With the purchase of an OWL Pass you get access to the exclusive Performer BBQ, Access to Warm The Rocks- Long Lake, the opportunity to skip the line at the Beer Garden (capacity permitting), access to the OWL & Artist Lounge, ten free drinks, two gourmet meals a day plus snacks. Must be 19+. Tickets are $550 each.
Early Bird tickets start at the bargain price of $80.00 for a Youth or Senior Day Pass!
Yellowknife – We are back for the third and final of the 2025 Flash Ticket Sale! After this, you will have to wait for the Early Bird Sale to begin on Friday, November 29th AKA Black Friday.
Our flash Early Bird sale starts today at 10AM, and runs this weekend only, until October 20, 11:59 pm- or until the 100 tickets available run out! This means folkers have a chance at buying ultra-discounted Warm the Rocks + Weekend tickets to the 2025 festival.
Applications to perform at the 45th Annual Folk On The Rocks Music Festival are now closed.
Applications for next year will open in the fall.
Thank you to everyone who applied!
Update: These are all sold out now! Thank you so much to everyone who took part.
Yellowknife – Round one went hot, so we are back for Round 2 of the 2025 Flash Ticket Sale!
Our flash Early Bird sale starts today at 10AM, and runs this weekend only, until September 15, 11:59 pm- or until the 100 tickets available run out! This means folkers have a chance at buying ultra-discounted Warm the Rocks + Weekend tickets to the 2025 festival.
This year, for the first time, the highway coming from town to the Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) site will have a protected bike lane from Highway 3 and Old Airport Road on the North Side (the side that FOTR is on).
Communities in Motion has organized some group bike ride times (Bike Jams) to help people on bicycles safely travel to and from the FOTR site.
We've been getting a lot of questions around the rules of selling your Folk tickets. If you can't make it to Folk On The Rocks this year and need to sell your ticket, here's some important info:
The City of Yellowknife provides a weekend shuttle service to ensure that Festival-goers get to the site safely.
Buses will run throughout the festival, stopping at multiple locations in Yellowknife.
Price: $2 per individual or $5 per family.
The schedule:
To help Northern-based artists grow their professional careers, Folk On The Rocks and Music NWT present Best Practices for Self-Releasing Music, a panel discussion featuring industry leaders across Canada.
This free event is intended to help advance the development of the performing arts in the Northwest Territories, and promote and support Northern, circumpolar talent in music, art, and entertainment.
The panelists will include:
Join our raffle for a chance to win big!
From now until 9 p.m. Sunday, July 21, you can purchase raffle tickets online for a chance to win:
Grand Prize:
· Two round-trip Air Canada tickets for travel within North America, the Caribbean, or Hawaii (excluding Mexico City)
· Two 2025 Folk On The Rocks OWL passes
Second Prize:
· One certificate for a pair of Blundstone Boots
With less than three weeks until Folk On The Rocks 2024, July 19-21, we are excited to announce the release of this year’s festival app!
CONTEST ALERT!
Win two tickets to Folk On The Rocks and two pairs of Blundstone boots!!!! Contest closes on Juky 4!
How to enter?
1. Like Blundstone Canada & Folk On The Rocks
2. Comment on this post with the person you would bring!
If you need help getting around the festival this year, check out our site map!
We are excited to announce that our 2024 stage-by-stage schedule is released!
The schedule tells you who will play which stage and when across the three days of the festival, helping you decide who you want to see and where you want to be!
Our stages include:
- 100.1 True North FM Aurora Stage
- Cabin Radio Lakefront Stage
- Canadian North Beer Garden Stage
- DT Electric Lil' Folkers Stage
- Lawson Lundell Main Stage
In an exciting battle of the performers at the Main Stage Showdown, Refrigerator took home the prize today – $500 cash, artist passes for the festival weekend and a slot on the Folk On The Rock’s Main Stage during the festival weekend.
Yellowknife – Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) is excited to introduce Teresa Horosko as the organization’s new Executive Director!
Our very own Carly McFadden received the 2024 Arnold Edinborough Award for her contributions to advancing the arts in Canada’s North through her work with Folk On The Rocks.
Established in 2015, the Peter Herrndorf Arts Leadership Award recognizes an arts leader dedicated to fostering the arts in Canada by building partnerships to ensure a vibrant cultural sector. And Carly McFadden has done just that!
Yellowknife - The third and final wave of the Folk On The Rocks 2024 lineup is here!
Headlining Folk On the Rocks this year will be the incredible Bedouin Soundclash! This Canadian indie rock/reggae favourite took a creative hiatus after climbing to the pinnacle of the Canadian music industry, and now they're back and better than ever. We can’t wait to watch their performance on the Main Stage this summer!
Folk On the Rocks is looking for photographers for July 19-21!
If you want to capture great moments at the festival this year in exchange for an all access pass, reach out to our marketing manager, Agata Gutkowska, at agata@folkontherocks.com.
This year's Annual General Meeting (AGM) is taking place on Saturday, June 1, 2:30 p.m. at the Elks Club!
We would love to see you at our annual AGM. Get involved by becoming a member or by running for a Board Member position!
Benefits of our membership include:
- Taking part in all Folk On The Rocks general meetings and attend the AGM,
- Nominating candidates for the Board of Directors,
- Having your say by casting your vote for the Board,
The second wave of artists for 2024’s Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) music festival, July 19-21, is here!
Yellowknife – We’re thrilled to announce the first wave of artists for this year’s Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) music festival, July 19-21 in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.
Sponsored by Lawson Lundell, FOTR 2024 is going to be the North’s greatest party under the Midnight Sun, bringing together performers from the Northwest Territories (NWT), across Canada and the globe. Our stages will have something for everyone – from rap, rock and rhythm and blues, to electronica, the Yellowknives Dene Drummers and poetry.
With spring in the air and the Folk On The Rocks festival around the corner, we’re excited to announce the artists for the 2024 Main Stage Showdown!
Allister McCreadie
Darin Woodbury
Dehcho
Johnny Mac
Liz Campbell
PARTS
Refrigerator
Sean Watson Graham
The Smith Sisters
TMixxy & TateVee Duo
In case you’re not familiar with it, the showdown is a talent-show-style event open to all performing arts (not just music) designed to raise money while also seeking out and promoting local talent!
Miranda Currie will be joining Mo Kenney as the collaborator for the Artist in Residence Program, and they will be performing at Snowking’s Winter Festival on March 27th! Tickets to the show are free, but you need to get them in advance here: https://snowking.ca/shop
Folk On The Rocks is hiring for the 2024 festival!!
We believe in uplifting and providing equitable opportunities to those from marginalized communities, and we encourage applicants from such communities including Indigenous people, people of colour, persons living with disabilities, persons representing diverse genders and sexualities (2SLGBTQ+). We recognize that not all terms always work for all people, and we welcome applications from all interested parties.
See our job postings below:
Yellowknife – We’re thrilled to announce our new Title Sponsor for the 44th Annual Folk On The Rocks music festival, Lawson Lundell LLP.
Lawson Lundell has partnered with Folk On The Rocks since 2016. Excited to be expanding on this already strong partnership, we look forward to working closely with them to make the 2024 festival the best one yet!
We are beyond excited to announce that Mo Kenney has been selected as our artist-in-residence for March 2024!!! Kenney will be traveling up to Yellowknife and collaborating with local musicians to put on a performance at Snowking’s Winter Festival on March 27th!
Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) invites you to a conversation on transportation to and from the FOTR Festival site, as well as topics on transportation and Zero Emission Vehicles in our community.
We're looking to fill three community positions for our 2024 Selections Committee.
The Selections Committee advises the Artistic Director on performer options for the upcoming year, ensuring both artistic and cultural performance content meets the Vision and Mission of Folk On The Rocks.
EARLY BIRD TICKETS AND OWL PASSES ARE ON SALE NOVEMBER 24 10:00 a.m. MST!
https://www.folkontherocks.com/tickets
Get discounted tickets to the 2024 Folk On The Rocks Festival, taking place July 19-21, 2024. Grab weekend passes for you and your loved ones in advance! You can even get your Christmas shopping done a little bit early this year! We're also going to have 50 OWL passes for sale.
The Owl Pass comes with:
That's a wrap on #FOTR2023! We look forward to seeing you again at Long Lake on July 19-21, 2024.
We loved partying with you under the Midnight Sun this year and can't wait to show you what we have in store for next year!
Check back on our website and socials for updates on all things Folk related including artist submissions, early bird tickets, events, exciting announcements (shhh, there's one coming this month), and more!
Countdown to #FOTR2023 is on -- 351 days to go!
The City of Yellowknife provides a weekend shuttle service to ensure that Festival-goers get to the site safely.
Buses will run throughout the festival, stopping at multiple locations in Yellowknife.
The bus service will be run using the transits high floor buses. Anyone with a wheelchair or other mobility issues that prevent them from getting on the bus will have to use YATS if they are registered or find alternate transportation.
The bus schedule:
With less than two weeks until Folk On The Rocks 2023, we are excited to announce the release of this year’s festival app!
Available on IOS and Android, our app is the easiest way to get information on the festival’s lineup, stage-by-stage schedule, as well as info on food and artisan vendors. It even allows you to build your own personal schedule based on the performers you want to check out.
Join us for a free, family-friendly afternoon of sun and live music as Somba K'e Civic Plaza on July 14!
We're ringing in Folk On The Rocks 2023 with a lineup of some incredible performers:
12:15 pm: Erica Dee Mah
1:15 pm: Flora and the Fireweeds
2:30 pm: Taiga Yoga
4 pm: Pantayo Kulintang Workshop
5:15 pm: La Légende de Calamity Jane
6:15 pm: Wayfinding
7:15 pm: Northern Lights Pow Wow Dancers
On July 14 join us at Long Lake's NWT Brewing Beer Garden for an evening of incredible performances to kick off Folk On the Rocks 2023!
The lineup:
7:30 pm: PARTS
8:30 pm: Diamond Dino
9:30 pm: Hyaenas
10:30 pm: Jasmyn
11:30 pm: Glam on the Rocks
12:30 am: Lemon Bucket Orkestra
1:15 am: Sunaïra
This event is 19+.
$30 at the door or included at a discount with the purchase of a Weekend + Warm the Rocks pass.
Folk On The Rocks 2023 is just around the corner. Here are some tips to make the most of your weekend:
We are excited to announce that our 2023 stage-by-stage schedule is released!
The schedule tells you who will play which stage and when across the three days of the festival, helping you decide who you want to see and where you want to be!
Our stages include:
- 100.1 True North FM Aurora Stage
- Cabin Radio Lakefront Stage
- Canadian North Main Stage
- DT Electric Lil' Folkers Stage
- Lawson Lundell Beer Garden Stage
Folk On The Rocks Wins "Small Festival of the Year" award at the 2023 Canadian Live Music Industry Awards!
The Canadian Live Music Association is the voice of Canada's live music industry, advancing and promoting its many economic, social and cultural benefits.
Members of the association include concert promoters, festivals, talent agencies, venues, clubs, arenas, performing arts centres, industry associations and networks, and suppliers.
Come join the FOTR team!
This role will focus on assisting the Production Manager with all temporary site needs to ensure the site is properly set up and ready for festival activities.
You will also support the management and organization of staff and volunteer radio use during the festival.
Start Date: June 28, 2023 – July 22nd, 2023
Compensation: TBD
Applications will be accepted until June 21st, 2013.
Yellowknife – In an exciting battle of the performers at the Main Stage Showdown, Prime Time took home the first prize today – a $500 cash prize, artist passes for the festival weekend and a slot on the Folk On The Rock’s Main Stage during the festival weekend.
Emceed by Layne Rybchinski, the Main Stage Showdown featured incredible performances by local artists. Performers included:
Folk On The Rocks is excited to announce the lineup of local performers competing for a spot on the festival’s main stage this summer!
Chosen on a first come first served basis, the performers for this year’s showdown will be:
The third wave of the Folk On The Rocks 2023 lineup is here!
We are thrilled to announce the third and final wave of artists that will be playing at Folk On The Rocks on July 14-16, 2023.
Performers in our third wave include Desirée Dawson, OMBIIGIZI, Shred Kelly, Balaklava Blues and Mama’s Broke.
We're hiring a beer Garden Manager and Beer Garden Support (two positions)!
Start Date: June 14, 2023- August 5, 2022
Compensation: TBD
Applications will be accepted until June 5, 2023
Duties
Join us for our Annual General Meeting ahead of the Main Stage Showdown this year!
Date: Saturday, June 3
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Location: Yellowknife Elks Lodge
Membership fees are $10. Payments can be made with cash or card at the door. (This purchase does not cover access to the Showdown. We will do a shutdown in between the AGM and Showdown.) No one will be turned away from membership due to a lack of funds.
Click below to see the AGM package.
Volunteer with us this summer!
Want to earn a free ticket to our festival this summer? Volunteers earn free passes, get to meet new people and support your community!
Are you interested in volunteering for Folk this year? Make some new friends, earn a free festival day or weekend pass, and listen to some great music while you are at it!
This week the Northern Mosaic Network announced that registration is open for the 2023 Performing Arts & Queer Justice Camp (PAQJ).
Megan Nash will be the Southern artist for this year's camp with Northern artists joining as well. PAQJ is a free, five-day camp where 2SLGBTQIPA+, questioning & allied youth, talk about social justice issues, and make performance art that will be presented on stage at Folk On the Rocks!
Building a great festival and organization takes a village and we’re excited that the folks who are leading our strategic planning process agree with us!
Folk On The Rocks is working with Ivy + Dean Consulting on a long-term festival strategy that supports the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, while also reflecting the voices of Northern communities, including those who are impacted by systemic barriers in the arts and at the festival.
We are looking for a Marketing Coordinator for this year's Folk On The Rocks music festival.
Estimated Start Date: June 5, 2023- July 28, 2023
Compensation: TBD
Applications will be accepted until May 19, at 5PM MST.
The Marketing Coordinator will assist the Marketing Manager.
We are looking for a Production Manager for this year's Folk On The Rocks Festival.
Estimated Start Date: May 29, 2023 – August 12, 2023
Compensation: TBD
Applications will be accepted until May 8th, 2023
Description
Yellowknife – The second wave of artists for 2023’s Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) music festival, July 14-16, is here!
Yellowknife – On July 17, Folk On The Rocks (FOTR) will host the North’s first-ever 19+ Zombie Apocalypse Camp once the curtains close on this year’s music festival, which runs July 14 to 16.
We are looking for a Vendor Manager for this year's Folk On The Rocks festival.
START DATE: April 24, 2023 – July 28th, 2023
Compensation: TBD
Applications will be accepted until April 3rd, 2023
DUTIES
Receives and reviews all vendor applications via FOTR website;
Manages all vendor contracts;
Manages all vendor payments;
Organizes and track all vendor booths;
We’re thrilled to announce the first wave of artists for this year’s Folk on the Rocks (FOTR) music festival, July 14-16.
Folk On The Rocks is committed to improving the accessibility of our festival by trying to lessen or remove barriers to entry. Below is a list of some of the services that we provide.
Thank you to everyone that participated in our Annual General Meeting yesterday!
We are excited to announce the confirmed Board of Directors for Folk On The Rocks:
President: Kayla Cooper
Vice President: Christina Monroe
Treasurer: Zachary Silva
Secretary: Camilla MacEachern
Mike Westwick
Brie O'Keefe
Patrick Meloche
Mallorie Malone
2023 is already shaping up to be a great year!
This year's Annual General Meeting is taking place on Tuesday, November 8th, 2022 at 7pm MST. As a result of our community survey, this year's AGM will take place online.
We would love to see you at our annual online AGM. Get involved by becoming a member for only $5!
We are thrilled to announce the dates for our Artist in Residency free shows and the wonderful artists that will be collaborating and performing each week with our Artist-in-Resident Desiree Dawson!
From October 21 to 27 ONLY, Folk On The Rocks will be having its first Super Sale!
We are beyond excited to announce that Desirée Dawson has been selected as our Artist in Resident for November 2022!!! She will be traveling up to Yellowknife and collaborating with local musicians, culminating in four free showcases at Makerspace throughout the month of November.
Folk On The Rocks
Request for Proposal: Design Concepts for 2023 FOTR Merchandise
Proposal Deadline: October 31, 2022
Folk On The Rocks will be hosting an Artist in Residency Program for the month of November. The chosen artist will work with a different, local musician(s) to create material for presentation each week. Every week will end with a showcase, highlighting the work done by the chosen applicant and the local musician(s) partnered up with for that given week. Each showcase will be open to the public at the Art Space room in the Makerspace building, for all ages to view.
Folk on the Rocks, in partnership with Heritage Canada, is proud to announce its new Artist in Residency Program (AIR Program). This November, we will work to bring up a songwriter for a month-long stay in Yellowknife, located in Chief Drygeese territory and home to the Yellowknife Dene First Nations. The goal of this program is to create an opportunity for inspiration and discovery while exposing people to the beauty and lifestyle of the Northwest Territories.
We are excited to announce the dates for Folk On The Rocks 2023!
The festival will be back next summer from July 14-16, 2023!
SCHEDULE UPDATE!!! CHANGES TO THE LINEUP
"echoes" (members of the Jerry Cans) will be playing Saturday July 16 at 4:00PM on the 100.1 True North FM Aurora Stage
Here is the official bus schedule for Folk On The Rocks 2022.
Come join us for some family friendly fun at Somba K'e in the afternoon and then boogie down to Long Lake to listen to a SURPRISE GUEST in the 19+ Beer Garden.
Warm The Rocks Somba K'e is FREE
Warm The Rocks Long Lake, presented by Lawson Lundell LLP, is $20 at the door or get it discounted with the Weekend + WTR pass!
Ashley is a robust and creative leader with a passion for community events.
We are hiring for a Production Assistant for this year's Folk On The Rocks 2022. Are you handy and good at problem-solving? Then apply today!
Start Date: June 29, 2022 – July 29, 2022
Compensation: TBD
Applications will be accepted until June 24, 2022.
Folk On The Rocks believes in uplifting and providing equitable opportunities to those from marginalized communities, and we encourage applicants from such communities including Indigenous people, people of colour, persons living with disabilities, persons representing diverse genders and sexualities (2SLGBTQ+). We recognize that not all terms always work for all people, and we welcome applications from all interested parties.
The 3rd Wave of the Folk On The Rocks 2022 Lineup is here!
We are thrilled to announce the third and final wave of artists that will be playing at Folk On
The Rocks on July 15-17, 2022.
Performers in our 3rd wave hitting the stage at this year's festival include Donovan Woods,
Kimmortal, Pantayo, Sarah Dufour, Ellen Froese, and many more.
THE FOTR 2022 LINEUP 2ND WAVE IS HERE ?
Haviah Mighty, Stu Larsen, PIQSIQ and many more! We cannot wait to see you all in July!
Don't forget to grab your early bird tickets while you still can ?️ at https://www.folkontherocks.com/tickets
2022 Lineup Wave 2!
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Yellowknife, NT.
It’s that wonderful time of year again folks, today marks the first wave of lineup announcements for this summer’s Folk On The Rocks festival.
We could not be more excited to be bringing you artists from across Canada and the globe to truly build on the magic that was last year’s festival. Our full festival lineup will be announced in three waves, with more headliners and artists coming to you very soon.
Tag us in your FOTR love story (on Instagram or Facebook) and we’ll put your name in the draw for a free pair of passes to this summer’s Folk On The Rocks 2022.
HOW TO ENTER
?Share a photo of you and your loved one at any Folk On The Rocks Festival and tag us!
?Follow @folkontherocks
?Like this post
ATTENTION ALL DESIGNERS!
Submissions are now closed.
MORE THAN A FAN?
Want to help curate the FOTR 2022 line up? Apply to join our selections team here!
Folk On The Rocks has three community positions available on our 2022 Selections Committee.
FOTR is looking for forward-thinking, solution-oriented and dynamic Selections Committee Members. FOTR encourages representation that reflects the diversity of our community.
Getting out to the Festival site and back safely is a top priority. While you may drive or bike, the City of Yellowknife provides a weekend shuttle service to make getting here a breeze. Remember that the cool kids don't drink and drive!
As the Northwest Territories has been working hard to follow the Chief Public Health Office’s Emerging Wisely plan, we are excited to be able to celebrate our community starting to get back to the “old normal”. This includes Folk On The Rocks’ ability to bring some top-notch southern artists to our Festival stage.
There is offocially less than a month until we will be celebrating the return of live music in the NWT! After a wild year of isolation, FOMO, and questionable pandemic haircuts - we are so excited to return to a bit of the “old normal”. Folk On The Rocks will probably look a little different this year, but it’s a small price to pay to once again soak up the sun with live music. So, in preparation for Folk, here are 30 things you can do to get ready!
Start Date: July 5, 2021 – July 23, 2021
Compensation: TBD
Applications will be accepted until June 25, 2021.
This role will focus exclusively on the management and organization of staff and volunteer radio use during the festival.
Duties
Work closely with the Production Manager to create and organize all radio channels as well as effective and easy to follow communication plan;
Folk On The Rocks 2021 will be like no other in many ways. We feel so grateful for the hard work of our community, and the privilege it is to be able to host a Festival this year, while so many of our southern festival colleagues have had to postpone or cancel. However, this year we will be unable to welcome many Festival goers from Southern Canada.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - Yellowknife, NT.
Folk On The Rocks is excited to announce a new addition to our Festival lineup. For many years, our policy has been that dogs are not allowed on site during the Festival, and we know that it is often difficult for our four-legged friends to miss out on all the fun.
We're about to put away our stegers and put on our blundestones. FOTR is just over 100 days away ?.
To help you get pumped, we've released a limited edition Folk On The Rocks merchandise line by Yellowknife artist Jonah Cutler (read more about Jonah here). In partnership with Erasmus Apparel, the Northern Choir print is on a hand tie-dyed long-sleeve tee. Available in two colours: black & bleach "grunge" style, or the colourful "dream pop" style.
Folk On The Rocks is eager to hear feedback from our members at this year's Annual General Meeting. We want to know how we're doing from COVID response, to the festival's future.
If you are not currently a member, or need to renew your membership, you can do so here.
In partnership with the Canada's National Arts Centre and Facebook, Folk On The Rocks is proud to present Yellowknife's own PIT! in a free, nation-wide live stream performance event.
June 29, 2020
7pm MT
EVENT LINK
Since forming PIT! has opened for the likes of Tanika Charles, performed two highly talked-
about sets at last year’s Folk on the Rocks, and played a sundry of other sold-out local shows.
