EFMF E-newsletter – April 2026
The 47th Edmonton Folk Music Festival takes place August 6 – 9, 2026.
We’re looking forward to telling you all about this year’s festival, and can’t wait to see you on the hill in August.
The full festival line up will be announced on Thursday, May 28.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 6 at 10:00 am.
For Festival information, visit (http://www.edmontonfolkfest.o
UPCOMING CONCERTS
Live at the Winspear is pleased to present Sounds of YEG, Sunday April 19 at the Winspear Centre.
You will recognize some of Edmonton’s finest local artists at Sounds of YEG. Mark your calendars for April 19 and check out three incredible acts on the Winspear stage.
* Brianna Lizotte, Métis fiddler and 2025 JUNO nominee, beloved by Folk Fest audiences for her masterful blend of traditional and contemporary roots.
* Secondhand Dreamcar, 9 piece soul, roots & blues band, known to Folk Fest fans for their infectious grooves.
* The Denim Daddies, high energy alt country with grit, heart, and storytelling.
Come celebrate local talent, discover fresh sounds, and dive into the heart of Edmonton’s music
scene!
Tickets available at winspearcentre.ca (https://www.winspearcentre.co
Greenwood Singers presents the Alberta premiere of Considering Matthew Shepard, Thursday April 30 at The Westbury Theatre. A powerful concert-length work that reflects on the life, death, and legacy of a young man whose 1998 murder shocked the world. Nearly 30 years later, the story remains urgently relevant. Members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community continue to face discrimination, exclusion, and violence—reminding us that who someone is can still be judged before their humanity is recognized.
Blending poetry, testimony, and music, this deeply moving work traces a journey from loss and grief toward compassion, understanding, and hope. It invites audiences to reflect on the impact of Matthew Shepard’s death and the role each of us plays in shaping a more just and inclusive world.
Tickets available at Eventbrite.c (https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/c
Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell: The Untold Love Story immerses audiences in the passionate but brief romance the iconic duo shared that shaped their songs, their lives and music history. It was 1967 at the Newport Folk Festival when the pair began an intense love affair that lasted only a few months but resulted in the inspiration for some of the most celebrated songs ever written.
Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell: The Untold Love Story, will explore what happened during their time living together in California at the height of folk music’s popularity, falling in and out of love, and then moving on to become the most influential songwriters and storytellers of all time. The multi-media production will recount their mutual influence on each other’s works through stories and songs including the chart toppers Hallelujah, Both Sides Now, Big Yellow Taxi, I’m Your Man, and many more. It’s a look at a romantic and creative relationship never before explored on stage.
May 30, 2026, Southern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
May 31, 2026, Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
Tickets and information available at starsandstorieslive.com (https://www.starsandstoriesli
WinterruptionYEG presents Valerie June at the Horowitz Theatre
Wednesday, July 22.
Known for her distinctive voice and singing style, Valerie June’s “every quiver bespeaks emotional honesty” (New Yorker). As a Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter and three-time Americana Music Honors and Awards nominee, June weaves fresh medicinal downloads of love, sweetness, goodness, and joy with songs that have flowed through her for years.
She has recorded three best-selling solo albums and written songs for legendary artists such as Mavis Staples and The Blind Boys of Alabama. She has been praised by Bob Dylan and shared the stage with myriad artists including John Prine, Norah Jones, Tyler Childers, Dinosaur Jr., Booker T. Jones, Emmylou Harris, M. Ward, Robert Plant, Meshell Ndegeocello, Avett Brothers, Dave Matthews, Angelique Kidjo, Willie Nelson, Brandi Carlile, and Elvis Costello. Her albums have been featured by numerous publications such as Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The Washington Post, NPR Music, Vogue, Elle, Mojo, Uncut, and many others, and she’s made television appearances on The Tonight Show, CBS Saturday Morning, PBS, Austin City Limits, BBC, and many more. She splits her time between Tennessee and New York when she’s not touring.
Tickets available at showpass.com/valerie-june/ (https://www.showpass.com/vale
Live at the Winspear & JCL Productions present Canadian indie-rock sensation Bahamas, Tuesday September 22 at the Winspear. The JUNO Award-winning singer-songwriter, born Afie Jurvanen, brings his Industrial Sport & Sound Tour to Edmonton for one night only.
Hear infectious country-funk, charging indie rock, hazy piano, and pastoral folk-rock in what may be the most effortlessly magnetic record in the entire Bahamas catalogue, My Second Last Album, produced by Jurvanen and multi-instrumentalist Joshua Van Tassel.
Don’t miss this chance to experience Bahamas performing live in the acoustically pristine concert hall at the Winspear Centre!
Tickets available at winspearcentre.ca (https://www.winspearcentre.co
The East Pointers
The Arden Theatre, Thursday October 15
JUNO Award-winners The East Pointers are best experienced live, where their high-energy blend of folk, pop and dance transforms any room into a packed dancefloor. With Tim Chaisson and Jake Charron at the helm, their shows are roof-rattling, joy-filled, and impossible to stand still to.
Their latest album, Schoonertown (2026), draws on East Coast roots, but it’s on stage where those stories truly come alive.
Tickets on sale April 17 at tickets.stalbert.ca (https://tickets.stalbert.ca/E
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