THUNDER BAY - From great food, to amazing dancing, to everything you could ever want from a quick trip around the world will be on display again at this year’s Folklore Festival.
“We are of course going to travel the world in 48 hours,” said Jeanetty Jumah, chair of sponsorship and promotion for the 2018 Folklore Festival. “This year it is going to be an amazing festival.”
The annual Folklore Festival is celebrating its 45th year of bringing nearly every corner of the world to the city of Thunder Bay. This year will be no different, with performances from cultural dance groups, cultural activities, and this year, 19 international food booths.
“We have a new Syrian booth this year, we have the return of the Slovaks who have not been to Folklore for years, the Greek booth is back and Thailand has returned,” Jumah said. “The food court is packed.”
On stage this year will be performances by Ukrainian dancers, the Pipes and Drums of Thunder Bay, Le Stelle Alpine Italian Dancers, the Kiikurit Finnish Folk Dancers, First Nations performers, and performances by the Thunder Bay Chinese-Canadian Association, just to name a few.
This year’s feature performer Saturday night will be Café Paris Martin Blanchet Jazz Quintet.
“They are going to take us to Paris and around the world,” Jumah said. “They are very young, very professional, diverse group of musicians. It’s going to be a fantastic Saturday night.”
From its humble beginnings 45 years ago, Jumah said the Folklore Festival has grown sustainably in the last 10 years. Last year alone, more than 13,000 people attended the two-day event and Jumah is expecting a strong turnout again this year.
“If we don’t get more than 10,000, I’m disappointed,” she said. “The first Folklore had about 500 people. For many years, they would be thrilled if they had 5,000. We, since 2005, have had 10,000 people.”
According to Jumah, the Folklore Festival is one of the few events in the community that is family friendly, affordable, and fully accessible, which is why so many people continue to come out year after year.
“Folklore will continue to celebrate the rich diversity of Canada,” Jumah said. “When I’m at Folklore, I am so proud to be Canadian. We’re always reaching out because Folklore is a place, for me, when you are at Folklore, you are standing beside all kinds of people from all over the world.”
Folklore Festival will be held at the Fort William Gardens on Saturday, May 5 from noon to 11 p.m. and Sunday, May 6 from noon to 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 for adults and $3 for seniors and students. Children ages four to 12 are $1 and children under four are free.
For more information visit the Folklore Festival website.
