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Founding Folks: An Oral History of the Winnipeg Folk Festival
The story of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, from the folks who were there
Every July since 1974, Manitoba’s Birds Hill Provincial Park has been home to one of Canada’s most vibrant and storied celebrations of folk music—the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Founding Folks tells the festival’s origin story, from founder Mitch Podolak’s unlikely dream of bringing folk music to prairie stages to how it became one of the most influential Folk Festivals in North America. Through conversations with staff, volunteers, and musicians—including Bruce Cockburn, Tom Jackson, and David Amram—filmmaker Kevin Nikkel offers a nuanced look at community building, explores the relationships between politics and culture, and provides fascinating insight into the lifelong friendships that developed among some of folk music’s most defining figures.
Brought to life by more than ninety photographs, this book is a testament to the vitality of prairie arts and culture. Founding Folks captures the spirit and enthusiasm of those early festival days and preserves this legacy for festival goers, students of culture and history, music enthusiasts, and folkies everywhere.
Every July since 1974, Manitoba’s Birds Hill Provincial Park has been home to one of Canada’s most vibrant and storied celebrations of folk music—the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Founding Folks tells the festival’s origin story, from founder Mitch Podolak’s unlikely dream of bringing folk music to prairie stages to how it became one of the most influential Folk Festivals in North America. Through conversations with staff, volunteers, and musicians—including Bruce Cockburn, Tom Jackson, and David Amram—filmmaker Kevin Nikkel offers a nuanced look at community building, explores the relationships between politics and culture, and provides fascinating insight into the lifelong friendships that developed among some of folk music’s most defining figures.
Brought to life by more than ninety photographs, this book is a testament to the vitality of prairie arts and culture. Founding Folks captures the spirit and enthusiasm of those early festival days and preserves this legacy for festival goers, students of culture and history, music enthusiasts, and folkies everywhere.
516 pages, Paperback
Published May 22, 2025
4 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 17, 2025
I was planning to read this book off the coffee table - in bits and pieces, here and there - not necessarily the whole thing. But it ended up on my bedside table and I read it front to back.
It was great to hear the perspective of all these people I am familiar with (being a WFF attendee for 45ish years), who were there at the beginning. The values they expressed that made that first festival work, hold true today.
And credit where it's due - one guy (Mitch Podolak) had a vision and everything else grew from that. That much is clear and runs as a theme through all the interviews.
It really is astonishing that this festival, started in a prairie park outside of a prairie city, has not only survived for 50 years, but is perhaps one of the biggest and best folk festivals anywhere.
It was great to hear the perspective of all these people I am familiar with (being a WFF attendee for 45ish years), who were there at the beginning. The values they expressed that made that first festival work, hold true today.
And credit where it's due - one guy (Mitch Podolak) had a vision and everything else grew from that. That much is clear and runs as a theme through all the interviews.
It really is astonishing that this festival, started in a prairie park outside of a prairie city, has not only survived for 50 years, but is perhaps one of the biggest and best folk festivals anywhere.
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May 14, 2025My conversation with Nikkel discussing the book here:
https://umfm.com/programming/broadcas...
https://umfm.com/programming/broadcas...
October 1, 2025
3.5 Stars
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews