Folk Festival

Don't get me wrong, I love my class, at least most of it. It's fun to hang out with my classmates in school, share triumphs and frustrations. But.... it's nice once in a while to be able to forget about everything, most of all the stuff waiting on a seemingly infinite list of things to do at home to get our condo ready for rental. One (school) or the other (home-work) seems to occupy all my waking hours.

Enter the Folk Festival. In its 28th year, started a mere 10 years after San Francisco's famed "Summer of Love", the VFF attracts the same people as that S-O-L did -- except now they all have grown children, SUVs, houses in the suburbs (around here that'd be neighborhoods like Kitsilano), and talk incessantly on their cell phones. But the Festival attracts quite the range of folks (not just aging hippies): from young children (how's this for a scene fresh out of Woodstock?) to some very senior citizens. Its Kid-Friendly (free), Senior-friendly (discounted), handicapped-friendly (free for companions). Student friendly. It's just... friendly. And you don't have to meet anybody else's definition of cool to go to the Folk Festival. It is its own cool. There are even... teenagers at the VFF. When's the last time you saw a teenager at a public event that wasn't The Mall?

All of these aspects make up for a nice get-away from the city (it's held at relatively-nearby Jericho Beach Park). Jericho Beach Park is on almost 47 hectares (116 acres), with ponds running through it, ducks, grass, trees, shady areas, beachfront (with a killer view of Vancouver):

All in all a sweet place for a concert, surrounded by denizens of aging hippies.

I like folk music, there's something really down to earth about it. It comes from the heart. Which is why I probably won't go to the Festival next year. It was much more laden with other styles of music -- spoken (poetry), hip-hop, African beats -- there was even a brass band from Rajasthan. Call me a Purist -- I like to listen to folk music because it is relaxing. I don't want to get vexed by it -- I can watch the news for that. Nonetheless, I did zone out for a number of hours under blue skies and moderate temperatures. Now I'm back to the city and can compulse over the next test at school.

Vancouver Folk Festival
Three Pastry-free days of Fun and Music

Don't get me wrong, I love my class, at least most of it. It's fun to hang out with my classmates in school, share triumphs and frustrations. But.... it's nice once in a while to be able to forget about everything, most of all the stuff waiting on a seemingly infinite list of things to do at home to get our condo ready for rental. One (school) or the other (home-work) seems to occupy all my waking hours. Enter the Folk Festival. In its 28th year, started a mere 10 years after San Francisco's famed "Summer of Love", the VFF attracts the same people as that S-O-L did -- except now they all have grown children, SUVs, houses in the suburbs (around here that'd be neighborhoods like Kitsilano), and talk incessantly on their cell phones. But the Festival attracts quite the range of folks (not just aging hippies): from young children (how's this for a scene fresh out of Woodstock?) to some very senior citizens. Its Kid-Friendly (free), Senior-friendly (discounted), handicapped-friendly (free for companions). Student friendly. It's just... friendly. And you don't have to meet anybody else's definition of cool to go to the Folk Festival. It is its own cool. There are even... teenagers at the VFF. When's the last time you saw a teenager at a public event that wasn't The Mall? All of these aspects make up for a nice get-away from the city (it's held at relatively-nearby Jericho Beach Park). Jericho Beach Park is on almost 47 hectares (116 acres), with ponds running through it, ducks, grass, trees, shady areas, beachfront (with a killer view of Vancouver): All in all a sweet place for a concert, surrounded by denizens of aging hippies. I like folk music, there's something really down to earth about it. It comes from the heart. Which is why I probably won't go to the Festival next year. It was much more laden with other styles of music -- spoken (poetry), hip-hop, African beats -- there was even a brass band from Rajasthan. Call me a Purist -- I like to listen to folk music because it is relaxing. I don't want to get vexed by it -- I can watch the news for that. Nonetheless, I did zone out for a number of hours under blue skies and moderate temperatures. Now I'm back to the city and can compulse over the next test at school. Previous Log Next Log

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