Photo credit: Matt Wallace (@citizenblitz) - Mae Martin @ Folk on the Rocks

From the moment you arrive in Yellowknife, there is a Northern pace to the Folk on the Rocks (FOTR) festival experience. The days are essentially endless with the midnight sun casting blue shadows through the pine forest onto a sandy understory. It's this landscape as much as the music that shapes the identity of Canada's northernmost folk festival. This year, the event took place July 17-19.

Nowhere can this relationship between landscape and music be more evident than the opening ceremony event at FOTR: Float on The Rocks. Picture 1300 people in kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards, all bobbing on Great Slave Lake to watch bands perform off the side of a houseboat. You could easily borrow a boat or hitch a canoe with no questions asked.

Photo credit: Matt Wallace (@citizenblitz) - Crowd @ Folk on the Rocks

The warm and welcoming hospitality of Yellowknifers when you visit isn’t just reserved for locals but extended to all. "Is it your first time here?" is typically the first question you're asked followed by sharing stories of life and how music resonates with us all. Moments like children burying themselves in sand at the festival beach while Great Lake Swimmers perform on main stage exemplifies the comfort found within this community.

The diversity and talent of artists that FOTR brought in this year was both impressive and thoughtfully curated. It’s a bit of a melting pot with musical genres ranging from folk to rock, to hip hop, to techno, and even metal. It didn’t quite feel like a “folk” festival at all, and each genre seemed to change how space was used. Perhaps one the best examples of this came from seeing The OBGMs lead a Wall of Death on Saturday night, only to have Aysanabee and the Yellowknives Dene Drummers (with ~50 drummers) transform that same space into the most massive drum circle to close the festival on Sunday night. Both bands delivered a healthy dose of sand as people ran, stomped, and moshed during blue hour.

Photo credit: Matt Wallace (@citizenblitz) - The OBGMs @ Folk on the Rocks

The organizers undoubtedly know of the talent of the North with several local or regional artists showcased every day and on every stage. A few notable Northern acts included local Yellowknifer and hip-hop artist Johnny Vu with the Co-op that delivered amazing lyrical poise and had feet shuffling in the sand. Equally impressive were the teenagers of the band Cows Go Moo who had travelled from Whitehorse, YK and managed to have the entire beer garden dancing and rocking (perhaps in part to their 11-year-old hype man).

Photo credit: Matt Wallace (@citizenblitz) - crowd at Cows Go Moo @ Folk on the Rocks

A few other FOTR standout bands we managed to catch included rock trio Altered by Mom (Toronto), Calgary’s St. Arnaud as well as Robert Adam. Unexpected but welcomed and enjoy was Celtic trance band Marrow Bones from Halifax. Polaris Prize winner and rapper Cadence Weapon brought energy and intellect to the main stage, while indie singer-songwriter Mae Martin (joined by The Darcys) inspired one of the weekend’s most enthusiastic crowds, proving they are an ATV far beyond just their notoriety in acting and comedy.

By the end of the weekend, it was clear that Folk on the Rocks is a one-of-a-kind festival and in a league of it’s own. If you’ve never been, it’s the perfect gateway to exploring the North and you won’t regret it.