Rain or shine, the Edmonton Folk Fest will be fine — at least that’s what crews are working toward as they prepare this year’s festival site.
Organizers are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best after the seventh wettest July on record according to Environment Canada. Meteorologist Dan Kulak said 163 millimetres of precipitation fell this July compared to an average of 93 millimetres seen in years past.
The wet weather can make the summer festival season difficult but Edmonton Folk Music Festival producer Terry Wickham is confident they are ready for anything.
“This isn’t new to us,” Wickham said. “This is our 39th year here and we’ve obviously had adverse weather during the festival or coming in before. So, our site crew is very experienced. They know all the spots that are susceptible to flooding.”
Preparations for the festival at Gallagher Park this coming weekend are well underway. Wickham said the focus is getting all of the concessions and stages set up on the site without doing major damage to the grounds.
“We’re bringing in rig mats, sand and gravel,” Wickham said. “We’ll be doing whatever it takes to get the grounds ready for all of the people coming down.”
Those quick fixes won’t be all over the site though, according to Wickham the hills around the area are dry for the most part. They drain down into the standing areas in front of the stages and into the concession area.
There is a small “spring” area near the beer garden, which Wickham said they work around every year but this year it’s bigger than normal.
“It is a little mushy as you’re walking up to buy your drinks in the serving area.”
The weather forecast for the festival weekend has been improving according to Wickham’s team that includes two meteorologists from Environment Canada on site all weekend.
“Our guys are really, really good,” Wickham said. “I mean scarily good at times with what they’ve predicted and the way things have happened. So I’ve got a lot of confidence in them.”
They help provide real-time data so Wickham can make any calls necessary whether that means delaying a performance or calling the show off completely.
In the 39-year history of the festival Wickham said they have had to cut the show short a few times but only evacuated the site once. That happened two years ago when a gust of wind dislodged video screens next to the stage.
That decision though is not taken lightly. Evacuating the site two years ago cost the festival $120,000.
“Not that [money] entered into it, safety is safety,” Wickham said.
Wikcham noted that the folk fest is established festival, but financial hit like that could be the end of a smaller festival.
It also means the Folk Festival team will spare no expense to get the site ready for this weekend. He estimates they have already spent an extra $20,000 on weather preparations this year compared to 2018.
Environment Canada is calling for a mixed-bag of weather in the coming days.
“Maybe some showers [Tuesday],” Kulak said. “Then getting a little bit warmer and drier for the latter part of the week and then perhaps a little bit cooler and maybe damper again for the weekend going into the early part of next week.”
Rain gear and layers may be the best way for festival goers to enjoy 40th edition of the festival.
Things get underway Thursday night with Irish singer-songwriter Hozier set to close out the opening night. The festival runs through Sunday and includes performances from artists like Brandi Carlisle, Bruce Cockburn and Blue Rodeo.