The Vancouver Folk Music Festival (VFMF) is a definite summer staple in British Columbia, gathering thousands of fans to Jericho Beach annually to enjoy an eclectic lineup of musicians, collaborative performances, local eats, and community spirit for three fun-filled days. The festival features three stages, 35 acts, street eats and refreshments, an artisan market with work by local artisans and artists, and unparalleled views of the Burrard Inlet. Artistic excellence, environmental stewardship, social justice, and reconciliation, are at the forefront of VFMF.
Since its founding in the 1978, the festival has expanded its reach, bringing in incredible acts from all over alongside new and established musicians from British Columbia and the rest of Canada. The broadness of “folk” is a starting point that reflects a connection with tradition rather than a strict guideline, and VFMF embraces the ever-evolving vocabulary and hybridisation of musical genres. The result is a festival that surprises and delights year after year, encourages discovery and global connections, and creates space for new genres and approaches. This openness is only one of the reasons VFMF is a space where every generation can kick off their shoes and dance in the grass.
The Vancouver Folk Music Festival is one of the city’s favourite summertime events, consistently recognized by locals and media alike for its bold programming, wholesome attitude, and strong values. This year is no different, featuring bold new talent, celebrated local musicians, and gems from across the world, between July 17-19, 2026.
Among them, eight acts from B.C. will take the stage this weekend, representing the talent, diversity, and stage presence our province has to offer. Read on to discover them:
Haley Blais
Friday 3:00 PM | East Stage
Canadian singer-songwriter Haley Blais has been creating defiant, scream-into-your-pillow anthems since 2014. She first built a devoted following as a teenager through diaristic YouTube videos and tender ukulele covers, inviting listeners into her candid inner world. Since then, she has evolved from solo beginnings to fronting a five-piece band with a guitar-driven indie pop sound.
Her 2020 debut album, Below the Salt, produced with Tennis and Louise Burns, delivered jangly yet emotionally sharp songs that resonated widely. The release earned millions of streams and strong critical support, leading to sold-out tours across the UK, Europe, and the United States. Now signed to the Arts & Crafts label, Blais has grown into a singular voice, capturing both the absurdity and beauty of everyday life. Her lyrics explore restlessness, acceptance, and the desire to build a life that feels genuinely fulfilling. Her sophomore album, Wisecrack earned a spot on the 2024 Polaris Music Prize Long List, cementing her as one of Canada’s most compelling indie voices.
On stage, Blais’ confidence is unmatched, her band filling rooms with a warm, folksy soul. On record, her poetic trains of thought trace vulnerability, while live performances reveal the full nuance and depth of her musicianship.
Gamksimoon
Friday 4:30 PM | West Stage
G̱a̱mksimoon, meaning waterspout in Sm’algya̱x, is a unique rock and roll project deeply rooted in the cultural and natural heritage of the Ts’msyen people. Created by Wil Uks Batsga G̱a̱laaw (Jeremy Pahl) of the Gitga’at First Nation, G̱a̱mksimoon draws its inspiration from the swirling, transformative energy of the waterspout, a weather phenomenon that mirrors the project’s dynamic and ever-evolving sound.
Blending the intricate rhythms and melodies of pre-contact Ts’msyen music with the raw power of rock and roll, G̱a̱mksimoon offers a soundscape that is both timeless and cutting-edge. Singing entirely in Sm’algya̱x, G̱a̱mksimoon honours and revitalizes the language, bringing its beauty to audiences through an electrifying musical experience. “I’m really passionate about keeping our language going,” Pahl told Windspeaker.com. “We don’t have too many speakers left and it’s just kind of a race against time while our Elders are still around. There’s not too many of us that are stepping up to the plate so to speak.”
The music of G̱a̱mksimoon is a celebration of culture and nature, resonating with the unpredictability and force of the waterspout it’s named after. From its intricate storytelling to its driving rhythms, G̱a̱mksimoon carries the essence of the Ts’msyen spirit into the world of contemporary music, inspiring listeners to embrace the connection between tradition and innovation.
Ruby Singh & the Future Ancestors
Sunday 10:30 PM | Rise Up and Sing South Stage
Sunday 3:20 PM | East Stage
Ruby Singh and the Future Ancestors’ music perfectly encapsulates everything the Folk Festival has tried to communicate with its audience for nearly half a century. The trio is comprised of Vancouver poet, visual artist, and melodic visionary Ruby Singh, Memphis-born storyteller, novelist, and Hoodoo practitioner Arthur Flowers, and Vancouver-based Gospel luminary Khari Wendell McClelland. With vibrant spiritual joyfulness, a hybrid of traditional forms and cutting edge beats and textures, and with a storytelling approach, their music is transporting.
Together, they create living tapestries of sound that point to new directions in music, while acknowledging and sending listeners back to reconsider the familiar melodic constructions of American folk, blues and hip hop. The trio holds the core of a work rooted in reverence, kinship, and sonic healing. Come hear new musical futures created in the moment as voices and beats coalesce into a radiant storm of sound.
Surf Hat
Friday 3:00 PM | West Stage
Sunday 12:50 PM | Rock Out West Stage
What started as a joke between friends on a beach in Tofino has gradually snowballed into something real. In 2022, a loose pact was made: start something new, don’t overthink it, and write catchy songs that feel relatable and genuine.
Based in the mountain town of Squamish, British Columbia, Surf Hat have been crafting their own version of cold-water surf rock, beach music written somewhere between the ocean and the mountains. Their sound floats somewhere between breezy shimmer of Allah-Las, the loose swagger of The Growlers, and the off-kilter quirkiness of Talking Heads.
The band has quickly built momentum the old-fashioned way: writing constantly and taking their music on the road. Surf Hat have released three full-length albums, including Modern World Blues released in November 2025, a record that expands their sound without losing the loose, unhurried spirit the band started with.
Following their most recent release, Surf Hat have spent the year circling the globe on sold out headline tours across Canada, the United States, and Australia, convincingly turning casual listers into lifelong fans.
Cousin Harley
Saturday 12:00 PM | West Stage
Sunday 12:50 PM | Rock Out (hosts) West Stage
Cousin Harley has come a long way since they recorded their first EP using a dilapidated 1965 Chevy Nova as an isolation booth. Together for more than two decades, they’ve shared their incendiary live show to audiences in clubs and festivals across North America, Europe, and Australia.
Built around guitarist Paul Pigat’s melodically diverse visions, Cousin Harley is a Vancouver-based musical trio that uses Honky Tonk and bluegrass motifs as a take-off point for explorations of almost every conceivable genre of music. Whether you’re a fan of Appalachian caterwauling or spirited Count Basie swing, Cousin Harley has something for almost everyone to enjoy.
Swinging from cranked-up-to-eleven electronic squonk, to turn on a dime shifts in tempo that bring a song down to a hushed whisper, Cousin Harley is one of popular music’s most daring livewire acts. A song that begins by strutting out of the gate with shredding, muscular riffs that wouldn’t be out of place at a biker bar may bounce and slide into Sun Ra-infused bebop before resolving into a tender and ethereal melody that would make David Crosby proud. Cousin Harley has proven that they can play anything with soul and commitment. Delivered with a wry smile, a wink, and a nod, listeners should expect fire, swooning, and testifying to come cascading from Harley’s musical pulpit.
Ruby Waters
Saturday 9:30 PM | Main Stage
Ontario-born, Whistler-based Ruby Waters is an indie artist whose music is as raw, playful, and honest as her live shows. Growing up with parents in a country band, she was performing by age 13, busking and playing bars, honing the soulful, candid style that has become her signature.
After breaking through in 2019, she released two acclaimed EPs, Almost Naked (2019) and If It Comes Down to It (2020), the latter earning her a JUNO Award nomination for Alternative Album of the Year. Her 2021 single “Blow” ranked among CBC Music’s top Canadian songs. In 2024, she released an introspective and daring full-length album, What’s The Point, recorded after a period of creative isolation in British Columbia.
With more than 50 million streams and sold-out shows across North America and Europe, Ruby Waters brings infectious energy, nostalgic riffs, and cutting lyrics that linger long after the last note.
Empanadas Ilegales
Saturday 4:40 PM | Global Ties That Bind West Stage
Sunday 2:40 PM | West Stage
Vancouver-based psychedelic cumbia and salsa collective Empanadas Ilegales have been igniting dance floors with their genre-defying sound since 2017.
Born out of late-night jam sessions and rooftop gigs, they’re a seven-piece ensemble with roots in Colombia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Canada, blending percussion-heavy cumbia rhythms with surf-rock textures, salsa melodies, and free-jazz horns. The result is a kaleidoscopic, hypnotic experience, both homage and invention. Their latest release, Sancocho Trifásico, is the band’s most layered, soulful, and adventurous work to date.
Known for their electrifying live shows, Empanadas Ilegales has performed at Sled Island, Montreal Jazz Festival, Calgary Folk Fest, SunFest, Mixto Fest, and JUNOFest, earning a reputation for playful, immersive performances that transport audiences to a vibrant world of contagious grooves and altered sonic landscapes. Their music is a rhythmic call-and-response connecting hemispheres, bridging cultures, and igniting dance floors wherever they play.
Luke Wallace
Friday 3:00 PM | South Stage
Saturday 10:30 AM | Cascadia Dreaming (host) East Stage
Luke Wallace is a dynamic force in contemporary folk music, blending heartfelt songwriting, choral arranging, and activism into performances that inspire change. Hailing from the Coast Salish Territory of Vancouver, Canada, Luke has spent over a decade touring, recording, and advocating for environmental and social causes, making him a standout voice for the planet.
In 2023, Luke brought his music to the global stage as a feature performer at the United Nations Water Conference, captivating audiences with his message of hope and action. With hundreds of concerts across North America, he has earned a reputation as a modern-day protest singer, carrying forward the spirit of folk legends like Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie while infusing his sound with indie-rock sensibilities and memorable, breezy choruses.
Luke Wallace blends heartfelt folk, indie-rock energy, and activist spirit into unforgettable performances, turning songs into rallying cries for social and environmental change that inspire hope, reflection, and action on every stage he graces. From festival stages to intimate venues, Luke Wallace invites listeners to join a collective journey of reflection, resistance, and hope.
Individual tickets and passes are on sale on the Vancouver Folk Music Festival’s website. To learn more about the festival, check out our interview with Fiona Black, VFMF’s artistic director.
