>>PREVIEW
CALGARY FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL
July 27 to 30
Prince’s Island Park
Are you preparing for your first foray into the world of the Calgary Folk Music Festival? Is this your 38th consecutive year attending some sort of music experience spanning several days? Either way, Fast Forward has helpfully compiled the following list of dos and don’ts to ensure that you are properly equipped to survive the summer’s best weekend.
DOS
· Do – Dance. Every year, approximately four per cent of the crowd gathers to the side of the main stage to partake in some of the most rhythmless dancing known to man. Participate. You never know when the opportunity to dance with someone wearing an outfit made entirely of hemp will present itself again.
· Do – Try the curry. There will be many, many sustenance options at the Folk Fest, but none is as rewarding as the curry stand. Brave the long lines, you won’t regret it.
· Do – Bring a lawn chair. Sitting on the grass for four consecutive days will do irreparable damage to your spine. The festival only permits low-lying chairs, which you will appreciate after sitting behind the only person who brings a full- size one.
· Do – Befriend a hippie. You will be able to identify these people by their tie-dye shirts and stellar dance moves. These will be the nicest people you meet all weekend.
· Do – Support your favourite artist. Whether it be one of the headliners, or the guy selling wallets out of his van – pick your favourite artist and buy some of their work.
Now that you know what you should do during the Folk Fest, it’s time to examine some of the actions that will leave you feeling alone and empty inside should you choose not to follow these instructions. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
DON’TS
· Don’t – Shower or shave. If you really want to fit in at the Folk Fest, a complete lack of personal hygiene is in order. Being in the middle of a field for a few days, nobody will notice – especially since they haven’t showered either.
· Don’t – Get drunk in the middle of the afternoon. Especially if it’s hot. It may seem like a good idea to drink a pitcher of beer while watching an East Indian dub band, but trust us, just watch the band. You’ll be so tired that you’ll sleep right through the traditional Klezmer band.
· Don’t – Yell "Free Bird!" It’s not funny.
· Don’t – Bring anything you can’t live without. While it’s unlikely that any of the festival-goers would actually nick your stuff, you still stand a pretty good chance of losing everything you bring in a frenzy of dancing and curry-eating. So don’t bring anything you’d particularly miss.
And finally, don’t – leave your garbage on the ground. The many volunteers you see patrolling the area are not there to pick up your granola bar wrappers. They’re there to yell at smokers. If the garbage you are holding in your hand is so offensive to you that you must immediately release it, do so into your knapsack or the knapsack of the person next to you while they sleep. |
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