ArtistDirect News
42nd Islands Folk Festival Celebrates 42 Years with Canadian and World Music Icons
From July 24 to 26, the Islands Folk Festival will reclaim Providence Farm in North Cowichan, British Columbia, for its 42nd edition. Organized by the Cowichan Folk Guild, the weekend promises a mix of Canadian and international talent that spans generations and genres.
Headliners include multi‑Juno‑award winner Susan Aglukark, Yukon Blonde, Shred Kelly, David Francey, Black Umfolosi, Empanadas Ilegales, PINDN, Noah Zacharin, Leeroy Stagger, Pony Gold, Waleed Kush, Earthly Delights, The Vaudevillian, and Nastasia Y. The lineup also features emerging voices such as PixElle, Fighting Words, Beverley McKeen, and Bill Levity, who will share stages with the headline acts.
Jack Connolly, the festival’s artistic director, said the 42‑year milestone underscores a duty to keep the event viable and fresh. He added that the weekend offers families a chance to spend time together, children a safe space, and strangers an opportunity to become friends.
Connolly explained that the 2026 program benefits from an increased artistic budget, allowing the Guild to book several national and world‑music icons simultaneously at Providence Farm. The budget also supports local artists, with PixElle opening the festival on Friday evening and the other local performers scheduled to play the same stages as the headline acts.
The festival features three main outdoor stages. The Islands Stage hosts the headline performers, while the Chapel Stage delivers acoustic sets without amplification, taking advantage of the building’s natural resonance. The Heritage Workshop Stage presents themed performances, including murder ballads and peace songs.
A new Garden Workshop area, inspired by The Vaudevillian’s popular washboard and spoon workshops, will host singing, jamming, instrument workshops, yoga, and daily tea sessions led by artists and community members. Additional programming includes a bluegrass basics workshop with Tad Ruzsel, singing and jamming sessions with Jenny Lester, and an Instrument Petting Zoo that lets attendees try instruments they normally would not have access to.
An art‑making area staffed by counsellor and art therapist Sundari Crossman offers guidance for those interested in creative expression. Volunteers are welcome to apply via the IFF website, and the organizers emphasize that the event creates a ‘parallel universe’ where people look at each other instead of their phones, fostering community and inspiring attendees to carry music with them for years.
Ticket pricing for the full weekend is $175 until July 23, $87.50 for attendees aged 16‑18, and free for children 15 and under, with a slight increase at the gate. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Cowichan Folk Guild office at 250‑748‑3975 or through the festival website. The festival’s 42‑year history began in 1984 and has grown to include upgrades in signage, campgrounds, lighting, and workshop spaces. The Cowichan Folk Guild acknowledges that the event takes place on unceded territories of the Quw’utsun, Malahat, Ts’uubaa‑asatx, Halalt, Penelakut, Stz’uminus and Lyackson peoples. The 2026 lineup and full schedule are available on islandsfolkfestival.ca.
Headliners include multi‑Juno‑award winner Susan Aglukark, Yukon Blonde, Shred Kelly, David Francey, Black Umfolosi, Empanadas Ilegales, PINDN, Noah Zacharin, Leeroy Stagger, Pony Gold, Waleed Kush, Earthly Delights, The Vaudevillian, and Nastasia Y. The lineup also features emerging voices such as PixElle, Fighting Words, Beverley McKeen, and Bill Levity, who will share stages with the headline acts.
Jack Connolly, the festival’s artistic director, said the 42‑year milestone underscores a duty to keep the event viable and fresh. He added that the weekend offers families a chance to spend time together, children a safe space, and strangers an opportunity to become friends.
Connolly explained that the 2026 program benefits from an increased artistic budget, allowing the Guild to book several national and world‑music icons simultaneously at Providence Farm. The budget also supports local artists, with PixElle opening the festival on Friday evening and the other local performers scheduled to play the same stages as the headline acts.
The festival features three main outdoor stages. The Islands Stage hosts the headline performers, while the Chapel Stage delivers acoustic sets without amplification, taking advantage of the building’s natural resonance. The Heritage Workshop Stage presents themed performances, including murder ballads and peace songs.
A new Garden Workshop area, inspired by The Vaudevillian’s popular washboard and spoon workshops, will host singing, jamming, instrument workshops, yoga, and daily tea sessions led by artists and community members. Additional programming includes a bluegrass basics workshop with Tad Ruzsel, singing and jamming sessions with Jenny Lester, and an Instrument Petting Zoo that lets attendees try instruments they normally would not have access to.
An art‑making area staffed by counsellor and art therapist Sundari Crossman offers guidance for those interested in creative expression. Volunteers are welcome to apply via the IFF website, and the organizers emphasize that the event creates a ‘parallel universe’ where people look at each other instead of their phones, fostering community and inspiring attendees to carry music with them for years.
Ticket pricing for the full weekend is $175 until July 23, $87.50 for attendees aged 16‑18, and free for children 15 and under, with a slight increase at the gate. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Cowichan Folk Guild office at 250‑748‑3975 or through the festival website. The festival’s 42‑year history began in 1984 and has grown to include upgrades in signage, campgrounds, lighting, and workshop spaces. The Cowichan Folk Guild acknowledges that the event takes place on unceded territories of the Quw’utsun, Malahat, Ts’uubaa‑asatx, Halalt, Penelakut, Stz’uminus and Lyackson peoples. The 2026 lineup and full schedule are available on islandsfolkfestival.ca.