35th Peterborough Folk Festival Releases First Wave of Acts; Calvin Bakelaar Announced as Emerging Artist of the Year

Peterborough Folk Festival (PFF) has stated its first wave of artists, declaring Calvin Bakelaar Emerging Artist of the Year for the 35th annual event which will run from Aug. 15 to 18, announced on Wednesday.

Photo by David Tuan Bui.

New acts announced for the event include Greg Keelor, co-lead singer of Blue Rodeo, Brooks & Bowskill, Melissa Payne, Boy Golden Kalàscima featuring Andrea Ramolo, Jadea Kelly, Meredith Moon and Sonshine and Broccoli.

Other confirmed artists include Odario Williams, Polky, Quote The Raven, Mr. Sauga, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, Evan Redsky and a Sharon Lois and Bram singalong with Sharon and Randi.

“We've got some big stars coming to play here at Nicholls Oval Park for free over the weekend,” said Rob Davis, PFF chair. “(There are) lots of regional-scale and national-scale artists. We really like to mix it up in terms of not only diversity and inclusion but also in terms of the genres of the music and appeal to a wide audience.”

Other festival highlights include the Children’s Village, Artisan Village, and Food Village. Activities at the Children’s Village include face-painting, family yoga, storytime and musical performances from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily.

The Artisan Village and Food Village includes items from over 50 local artisans, food vendors and community groups.

A second wave of artists will be announced on July 22, including the headliner for Aug. 17 and performers at downtown venues on Aug.15.

Bakelaar is a multi-instrumentalist and singer-songwriter based in Peterborough. Originally from Listowel, he moved to town while he was still in high school. Since coming to the city, he has been a consistent attendee of the Festival and is honoured to be on the other side this year.

“It's the culmination of a lot of work learning and constantly trying to improve myself so it's a really incredibly opportunity and I'm really grateful for it,” explained Bakelaar.

He is the voice behind indie folk act VANCAMP. Originally a drummer, he learned to play guitar and write songs in 2020.

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