| Attendance, noise down
Attendance at this year's Calgary Folk Music Festival was down slightly, but so were noise complaints and sound levels in many of the areas surrounding Prince's Island Park.
Folk festival director Les Siemieniuk says attendance at the four-day event was about 30,000 – down slightly from last year, something he attributed to less recognizable musicians and the threat of rain.
"We weren't top-heavy with the familiar names, if that's what you want to call them... but I've heard from quite a few people that the artistic quality this year was the best in a lot of years," Siemieniuk says. "On the whole, everybody's grinning from ear to ear."
Sound levels were also down in most areas – news festival organizers and many fans were holding their breath for because of the realignment of the festival grounds and the placement of a new stage.
The City of Calgary's Bill Bruce says sound levels were carefully monitored throughout the weekend, and the new stage alignment seems to have contributed to lower sound levels in all areas except some parts of Eau Claire.
The festival has been hampered in recent years by noise complaints from nearby residents, but Bruce says only four complaints were registered this year and the city will work on further reducing sound outside the park in the future.
"We learned a lot this year," Bruce says. "With the new stage, 20 years of history is out the window... so it will take some time to adjust to things.
"I think (improvement) is achievable. I think there's a will on the part of the folk festival, and we will make this work." |
