Festival venues

Every large or mid-size community in Newfoundland has a festival of some sort over the summer, and many small towns do as well. The tourist board puts out a list which you probably could get from O'Brien's or directly from the Newfoundland tourism department (1-800-563-NFLD) when it becomes available. Most are very inexpensive. I will update this list with remaining 2002 dates when I get the information, or will provide a link to it. Some of the more than 100 music festivals are:

• The Sound Symposium is a major festival celebrating sound and held every even-numbered year, and in 1998 it is from July 10 to July 18. There is some networking/conference component I think, including some workshops. One major feature is the Harbour Symphony where ships in the harbour play their horns and other stuff and musicians play along as well. Connoisseurs of sound from around the world have raved about it.
• Wreckhouse Jazz and Blues Festival is held every year.
• Newfoundland Screech Comedy Festival is held every year.
• Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival (always held in St. John's and hence sometimes incorrectly referred to as The St. John's Folk Festival) is held the second weekend in July and is one of probably more than 100 folk festivals held annually in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is the largest of those many festivals and is a world class celtic folk festival, as are some of the others. The main venue is in Bannerman Park, and it is in the heart of the old city and five minutes walk from downtown. There are two afternoon sessions (Saturday and Sunday, free in 2024) and three evening sessions (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Tickets are free for children 12 and under accompanied by an adult, and discounted for teens 13--18 and seniors. There are some food concessions including fish and chips, also in 2024 adults 19 and older with wristbands indicating that will be allowed to drink alcoholic beverages, including a special festival beer, anywhere in the main stage area for the first time. For camping facilities perhaps try Pippy Park, or the Butterpot Provincial Park 15 miles outside town. There are small intimate workshop stages and also the Neil Murray stage mostly but not entirely for children as audience plus most of the performers are children, with set times scheduled so that the Neil Murray stage set is going on during (but not just during) the short transition time between acts on the main stage. During the evening session there is only the main stage. The Neil Murray stage area also has face painting, a storytelling tent, and some other stuff for kids, but most of the music is adult calibre and some, including celtic music performed by rising stars, is not particularly "kid's music". So it is an overlap of the "kid's stage" of many major festivals and an opportunity for the young whiz kids to strut their stuff, though some of them get on main stage too. Also ace accordion, whiztle and bodhran player Graham Wells sometimes accompanies the young dance groups so it is chance to hear him solo and intimate which might not come on main stage where he would more likely play in a group. Of course, also see my section on sessions, particularly if you play an instrument or sing, and the section on pub venues. During this festival the sessions may be less well attended than usual but there would probably be after-festival impromptu sessions in someone's kitchen or elsewhere.
• A free buskers festival is held in downtown St. John's the first weekend in August, often the same weekend as the folk festival.
• Feile Seamus Creagh, the Seamus Creagh Festival of Traditional Irish and Newfoundland Music was held in late July, 2010 and is being held again in 2011 (watch the website). This combines sets by visiting Irish musicians with sets by some of the best local performers, and is held indoors. It is dedicated to the late Seamus Creagh and is hosted by Graham Wells. In 2014 it will move to October.
• There is a Mount Pearl Bluegrass and Old-time Country Festival held late in the summer at The Glacier stadium in Mount Pearl (a suburb of St. John's). I'll add in a web page link for this later.
• The Peace-A-Chord (with some topnotch alternative rock and more, including occasional touring performers such as Spirit of the West and Billy Bragg who support the cause) is a festival late in the summer, I think Labour Day weekend, in Bannerman Park but with the main stage set on a different grassy area than the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, to minimize damage to the park over the summer. For the Peace-A-Chord there is more chance of cooler weather than for the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, so energetic dancing is prescribed, including in the rare event of sprinkles. 2008: recently the city has failed to grant permission to use the park, so in 2006 shows were held at The LSPU Hall and booths were at The Masonic Temple, and in 2007 the festival may not have happened at all. But I hope it returns in 2008.
• There are always some musical activities in St. John's for St. John's Day (June 24) and the rest of the province for June 24 (Discovery Day) though the focus was on Bonavista for 1997. Probably even in 1998 and beyond there will be some sort of musical concert in Bonavista on that day as well.
• On Canada Day (July 1) there are often mini-festivals, including one outdoors on the waterfront and/or George Street and/or The Confederation Building area in St. John's. During 1999 this will probably be enlarged to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Newfoundland's Confederation with Canada, though that would also be celebrated the night of March 31, 1999, ending at dawn, preferably with no 4-01 hangover. On Canada Day there is also a Labrador West Folk Festival.
• The George Street festival, with some touring rock acts and local rock and folk rock acts, takes place in 1998 from July 27 to Aug. 2, I think (I'll check). Some years there has been a conflict with the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival (sometimes called The St. John's folk festival), one of the over 60 (I think probably over 100) folk festivals held annually in Newfoundland and Labrador. The George Street festival is restricted to those 19 and over. Ideally this would be held annually on either the weekend (and weekdays leading up to it) before that folk festival or the one after that folk festival such that the two sandwich the Regatta. That folk festival is the first full Friday+weekend in August and the Regatta is the first Wednesday in August, unless delayed by bad weather, hence sometimes the Regatta falls before that folk festival and sometimes after. Hence if the first day of August is a Thursday or Friday then the George Street Festival weekend component would best be the second weekend in August (and weekdays leading up to it). If the first day of August is a Saturday or Sunday then the George Street Festival weekend component would ideally be that weekend. If the first day of August is a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, it would ideally be the last weekend in July.
• Carbonear (Conception Bay festival, second longest running festival in the province), held the last full weekend of July, so if the George Street festival is held then and loud rock music and hordes of boisterous partially drunken late teen and early twenty sorts and rock fans are not your cup of tea, or just to catch some celtic and other folk music in a semi-rural environment, check it out. On the other hand if you like both rock and folk music and are staying in town you could try one night of the George Street Festival and a day trip around the bay for another day and evening of the Conception Bay Folk Festival. This festival almost always features Tickle Harbour since band cofounder Gerry Strong lives in Carbonear, and several other world class acts usually attend.
• Une Longue Veillee, Cape St. George, Port au Port Peninsula is a french Newfoundland folk festival
• Fogo (and you?) has a highly regarded festival, The Brimstone Head Folk Festival, with local performers and special guests. Jim Fidler recommended this one to me.
• Corner Brook: Hangashore Festival. Traditional song, dance, music and crafts.
• Great Big Picnic --- a multi-act concert featuring Great Big Sea and generally held outdoors at various sites around the province and country. In 1998 St. John's city council would not give their promoter a good outdoor site so the only Newfoundland and Labrador Great Big Picnic is in the Grand Falls/Windsor area (in 1998).
• Southern Shore Folk Festival (Ferryland) celebrates Irish and Newfoundland culture with a host of local entertainers, some of whom now have major recording contracts.
• Outer Cove Folk Festival is held in Outer Cove near St. John's and features local performers including some with CDs out.
• Stephenville: there is some music associated with the theatre festival which is a professional theatre festival held during the month of July. (709) 643-4982.
• La Grande Terre, Mainland, Port au Port Peninsula. This is a french folklore festival showing past lifestyles of the people and with some traditional music and dance.
• Labrador also has some festivals, including a Labrador West Folk Festival on Canada Day, a Wabush one, a North West River one and one in the Point Amour area.
• Conception Harbour folk festival --- small festival, one of your best chances to hear Wilf Doyle.
• Holyrood (Squid-jigging festival), small festival, one stage, mostly local acts (Wilf Doyle now lives in Holyrood so he might perform here)
• Brigus (Blueberry festival), music, dances, pie-eating contests, games, historic walks and more.
• The Conne River Pow-Wow is held every year and there are attendees from native peoples across North America as well as locally and as well as native-friendly visitors. Info Tammy Drew (709) 882-2470, fax (709) 882-2458.
• During the summer weekends, CBC Radio Two has been putting on a series of lunchtime concerts at The Murray Premises in St. John's and featuring world class local performers. There might also be some free summer concerts held at The Harbourside Park near The War Memorial.
• As I said, there are probably over a 100 festivals (mostly folk festivals) held annually in Newfoundland and Labrador and I will try to add details of more of them here soon. The guide available from 1-800-563-NFLD has details on some of them.