The west end of Danforth Avenue is all set to host a huge music festival this weekend.
Winterfolk, which involves five venues all within easy walking distance of the Broadway subway station, kicks off Friday at 7:30 p.m. and continues throughout Saturday and Sunday.
In its fifth year (and third straight on the Danforth), this is the first year for free admission.
“We expect this will increase attendance and public access to the music, which is the whole point of the event,” said festival founder and director Brian Gladstone, adding that it will also allow regular customers of the various venues continued access.
Although North York born and raised, he’s more than familiar with this part of the city, as he hosts the weekly Thursday night open mic at the above mentioned Renaissance Cafe.
A top notch finger-pickin’ roots musician who will also perform this weekend, Gladstone is well known in the Toronto roots music scene. Among other projects, he also organizes an annual peace festival which was held last summer at Mel Lastman Square and will shift this coming summer to a more natural setting at Earl Bales Park.
The festival is a wonderful opportunity for city-folk who would enjoy a summer folk/roots festival to catch one right in the heart of the city in the middle of the winter.
There is a myriad of concerts and workshops throughout the weekend on a total of seven stages in the five venues which include the Black Swan, Dora Keogh, Willow and Terrio’s.
Printed programs will be available at all venues throughout the weekend (and were printed in last week’s Mirror, which is the official media sponsor). The schedule is also easily accessed online at the official Winterfolk website at www.abetterworld.ca.
As always the festival presents a mix of artists – most of which are local to the Toronto area – including radio blues personality Danny Marks, folk icon Norm Hacking, country rock songwriter Michael Brennan, Aussie folk artist Greg Quill and Riverdale-based swing country stars Bebop Cowboys, along with a raft of talented up-and-comers
This year a “Spirit Of New Brunswick” showcase presents several artists from that province who represents various styles of distinctly Canadian music that have evolved from the area’s diverse cultural influences over a score of generations.
