The inaugural lineup includes Frazey Ford of the Be Good Tanyas, Joel Plaskett, Kacy & Clayton, Harry Manx, Ferron, Old Man Luedecke, and others at Royal Athletic Park.
Where:Royal Athletic Park, 1014 Caledonia Ave., VictoriaWhen:Saturday, July 5, 12 p.m.Tickets:Sold OutInformation:vicfolkfest.com
Victoria was known for decades to have one of the most supportive folk music communities in Western Canada. But a funny thing happened on the way to the song circle: ICA Folk Fest, the city’s longest-running event of its kind, eventually folded in 2006 after 35 years, a victim of financial problems, rotating artistic mandate, and dwindling consumer confidence.
There have been a succession of placeholders in the time since, though the majority could not survive beyond a year or two. Which makes the immediate success of the newly-minted Victoria Folk Music Festival, which opens today at Royal Athletic Park, all the more impressive. The one-day event reached its capacity one week ago, with 1,500 tickets sold in advance.
“It hit the ground running, which was nice,” said Dylan Stone, founder and artistic producer of the Victoria Folk Music Festival. “I was blown away on the day [tickets went on sale], with how well it was received. The city was painfully ready for this kind of event. We’ve all heard about it over the years, with people looking back at all the old festivals. It wasn’t fully forgotten yet.”
Establishing an event of this ilk was not a stretch for the veteran performer and longtime bandleader of Victoria’s Unfaithful Servants, who has been balancing his music career with concert production opportunities for more than a decade. Stone was at the helm of the successful Langford Rocks festival in 2024, and had a string of very successful events with the Sooke Community Concert Series this year.
He hatched the idea for an old-school festival five years ago, but the project took some time to come into view. He planned its debut for 2024, but Ship Point in the Inner Harbour and Centennial Square were the only site options available. He entertained both, but felt neither were suitable for the Victoria Folk Music Festival.
“I couldn’t land on a venue, because I was pretty adamant about keeping it in the city core. But when I closed my eyes, and thought about the festival, all I could see was sunshine and kids running around. I’m at that point in my life where that is the kind of scene I want to be around.”
He quickly went about securing Royal Athletic Park. “A lightbulb went off. Why was I hitting my head trying to use two venues that don’t even have grass, and aren’t what I am looking for? When I got in touch with Royal Athletic Park, all the cards lined up.”
Stone’s festival is stepping somewhat into the space once occupied by Courtenay’s Vancouver Island Music Festival, one of the top roots music festivals in the province. The mid-island festival hit pause in 2025 after three decades of success and an alumni roster that includes Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, and John Prine, among others.
Stone went with an excellent inaugural line-up that includes Frazey Ford of the Be Good Tanyas, Joel Plaskett, Kacy & Clayton, Harry Manx, Ferron, Old Man Luedecke, and others. The roster has been warmly received, Stone said.
“The whole point of all this is to make people feel good. Of course, there’s ego and gratification and financial success and all that, but the whole deal with music is to share art and make the world a better place — to do something net positive. And intrinsically, people are attracted to this festival because they understand that is the bigger overall mission.”
That role was once bequeathed to ICA Folk Fest, a beloved community event for several decades. In the mid-1990s, Folk Fest moved from Centennial Square to Ship Point, where it came to a somewhat unsatisfying end within the span of a few years.
Stone said he has heard countless times in recent months how the Victoria Folk Music Festival is filling the void left by Folk Fest’s departure. But while he prioritized some folk festival essentials (such as allowing chairs and blankets and in-and-out privileges), he added a few touches of his own, like a vintage clothing pop-up market and children’s area outfitted with a bouncy castle.
“I’m thinking about the long term, but I’m just trying to get through the first year,” he said with a laugh. “But now that the framework is set up, and I’m creating relationships, it bodes super well for the festival, especially with it selling out a week in advance. I can’t think of anything better to secure the longevity of it. It really sets it up well for another year.”
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