Just in case you've been living under a rock for the past 45 years, and have never attended Northern Lights Festival Boréal, the festival's executive director, Max Merrifield, makes a pretty good case to go.
The Sudbury folk festival, which has been running since 1972, takes place July 8-10 in Bell Park. It features six stages, more than 50 artists and 100-plus performances.
“First of all, they're going to discover a lot of amazing music that's going to blow their mind that they probably never heard before,” said Merrifield.
“They're also going to see seasoned Canadian vets doing their thing musically. It's a real feeling of community. It's more than just a concert. It's a whole experience for all the senses. Any first-timer will be coming back the next year for sure and hopefully for another 45 years.”
The festival's Friday night headliner is Bahamas, a modern folk musician from Barrie, Ont. whose real name is Afie Jurvanen.
“He's been really successful artist,” Merrifield said. “He's a multiple Juno winner. He's signed to Jack Johnson's record label. It's a name we've been thinking about for a few years, and we have the opportunity this year, and we went for it. I'm really stoked on Bahamas for sure.”
Saturday night's headliner is husband-and-wife fiddling duo Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy. Both have previously played at Northern Lights, although separately.
“They're just basically the best at what they do as far as fiddle music and bringing Celtic music into the future,” Merrifield said.
“They're an encyclopedia of music. They know many, many old fiddle tunes, and they play them, and they keep them alive. But they also take the genre to a new place. To watch any of the latest YouTube videos with the full band, it's pretty rockin'. It's pretty hard core for Celtic stuff.”
Closing out the festival is Sunday night headliner Steven Page. He's a founding member of the Barenaked Ladies, but left the band in 2009 to pursue a solo career. Page also played at Northern Lights in 2012.
“He was definitely a hit when he came last time,” Merrifield said. “He's just so funny and quirky. He really is one of Canada's best pop song writers.”
While the 2016 edition of Festival Boréal features some great headliners, one of the best parts of the festival is discovering new music and enjoying the talents of locals.
Merrifield said he's especially looking forward to acts such as Minotaurs, an afrobeat groove band, and Digging Roots, another husband and wife band that plays of melding of reggae and blues.
The festival isn't just about music, though, as it has a visual arts aspect.
This year, Festival Boréal will feature soapstone and wood carvers demonstrating their art, and there's going to be workshops, including one for vintage postcard-making.
“The Espanola Fibre Arts Festival will be back with their big coral reef installation,” Merrifield said. “It's like a giant coral reef made out of yarn and other textiles.”
If you're bringing kids to the festival, it's a great year to do it, as the festival is letting kids 14 and under in for free, as long as they're accompanied by an adult with a ticket.
Families will be interested to hear that Cindy Cook of Polka Dot Door is returning. Puppateer Mike Peterson also visits with his Good Old Fashioned Punch and Judy Show.
“He's worked on shows like Fraggle Rock, so a really accomplished puppateer,” Merrifield said. “That'll be pretty cool.”
Tickets range in price from a $15 day-only pass available at the gate to a package costing more than $500 that includes two weekend passes and a three-night stay at the Clarion Hotel.
For more on ticket information and for the full festival lineup, visit NLFB.ca.
