Ottawa's CityFolk Festival has unveiled the program for an expanded edition of the event that will make its debut this summer in a spacious new site on the grounds of the RA Centre.
Headliners range from classic shock-rocker Alice Cooper and post-grunge hitmakers Third Eye Blind to country-leaning powerhouse Cameron Whitcomb, American boogie-blues band Alabama Shakes, and Iceland's Of Monsters and Men. Organizers hope to attract 10,000 music fans each night between Sept. 16 and 20, a boost of about 20 per cent over the capacity of the festival's previous site on the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park.
“We’ve encountered issues at Lansdowne just because of the size,” said Mark Monahan, executive director of CityFolk and its big-sister festival, Bluesfest. “We didn’t really have room to grow at Lansdowne. This gives us room to grow.”
CityFolk was bumped off the Great Lawn after last year’s edition because of construction on the multimillion-dollar Lansdowne 2.0 redevelopment project. It’s not clear if it will ever go back. “We don’t know what the end plan will look like at Lansdowne, or when that could be available,” Monahan said. “We’re looking for a semi-permanent home, and we are optimistic about the new site. We think the options for transit, the size of the field, and so on, are very conducive to the vibe we’re trying to build with CityFolk. Our hope is that we’ll be there for an indefinite time.”
The new site, which is also home to the Escapade Music Festival in June, is less than four kilometres south of Lansdowne, but much easier to access by public transit. Paid parking will also be available nearby. Some observers expected the festival to move to LeBreton Flats Park, the same site as Bluesfest, but Monahan said their preferred dates were not available at LeBreton, and he wants CityFolk to maintain its own character. “We don’t want it to turn into a mini-Bluesfest,” he said.
Once again, CityFolk will be a dual-stage festival, featuring a main stage facing away from the Glebe and a westerly side stage housed in a huge tent. The new site will also have room for extra features such as a Vintage Village, presented in partnership with 613Flea. It’s expected to feature at least a dozen vintage vendors. TD Canada Trust returns as title sponsor of the main stage, while new sponsors include Ottawa craft brewer Dominion City Brewing and Happy Dad hard seltzers.
As for the lineup, both Monahan and programming manager Catherine Cote said they’re happy with the way it came together, pointing to strong double bills on the main stage each night, along with intriguing side-stage fare. Highlights are expected to include the Alabama Shakes versus Marcus King Band showdown on opening night, a Friday-night ’90s party with Third Eye Blind and Switchfoot on Sept. 18, and a blast-from-the-past rock finale featuring Alice Cooper and the Sex Pistols on Sept. 20.
