Wrap-Up: 2026 Festivals Retreat

2026 Festival Retreat participants

Folk Canada was pleased to host the 2026 Festival Retreat, April 19-21 at the Elmhirst Resort in Keene, ON. 

Each year, Folk Canada gathers the Executive Directors of our Festival Members for 2 days of professional development, including hands-on workshops, group-sharing sessions, sharing of best practices, networking, singalongs, folk trivia, and more! 

Topics of discussion included Revenue Generation, Volunteer Recruitment & Retention, Festival Governance, and Marketing & Community Engagement. The event also included a special Media Readiness Workshop led by Folk Canada board member Ann McKeigan of CompassMedia. 

Participants came from across the country, including leaders from:

• Almonte Celtfest (Almonte, ON)

• Blue Skies Music Festival (Clarendon, ON)

• Canmore Folk Festival (Canmore, AB)

• CityFolk Festival (Ottawa, ON)

• Cultivate (Port Hope, ON)

• Goderich Celtic Roots Festival (Goderich, ON)

• Hillside Festival (Guelph, ON)

• Northern Lights Festival Boréal (Sudbury, ON)

• Peterborough Folk Festival (Peterborough, ON)

• Live From the Rock Folk Festival (Red Rock, ON)

• Springtide Music Festival (Uxbridge, ON)

• Starbelly Jam Music Festival (Crawford Bay, BC)

• Stewart Park Festival (Perth, ON)

• Summerfolk Music & Crafts Festival (Owen Sound, ON)

• Sunfest (London, ON)

• Toronto Folk Festival (Toronto, ON)

• Trout Forest Music Festival (Ear Falls, ON)

• Wawa Music Festival (Wawa, ON)

• Winnipeg Folk Festival (Winnipeg, MB)

• Winterfolk (Toronto, ON)

Thank you to everyone who came and participated in the Festival Retreat! If you'd like more information on the festival retreat, and how your event could be involved, please contact Joel Elliott at joel@folkcanada.com