After two years of an online-only hiatus due to the Covid pandemic, Toronto’s annual Winterfolk Blues and Roots Festival is back IRL, baby, for its 21st Anniversary! The festival, which features a change of neighborhood this year to Kensington Market, will showcase some of the most talented blues and roots acts performing over the course of two nights of live performances, and one night of strictly online streaming.

This year’s Winterfolk lineup includes three-time JUNO Award winners Sultans of String; eight-time Maple Blues Award winner Gary Kendall Band; Jazz Violinist of the Year Anne Lindsay, and many, many more, including Alfie Smith, Anne Lindsay, Black Suit Devil, Brian Blain, Brian Gladstone, Brian Morgan, Camie, Carmen Toth, Chris Birkett, D'Arcy Wickham, Danny Marks, David Celia Band, David Essig, David Laronde, Garnetta Cromwell & DaGroovmasters, Glen Hornblast, Graham Lindsey, Harpin' Norm Lucien, Heather Luckhart, Hilario Duran, Howard Gladstone &the Gladtones, Isabel & The Uncommons, JESSA (aka Jessica Stuart), Joey O'Neil, Kevin Breit, Laura Fernandez, Laura Hubert Band, Mandy Goodhandy, Melanie Peterson, Myke Mazzei, Noah Zacharin, Ori Dagan, Paul Mills, Quarrington and Adams (Q & A), Robert Priest, Shawn Lawrie & Kendall Kiddie, Sultans of String, Tania Joy, Tannis Slimmon & Lewis Melville, Taylor Abrahamse, The Gary Kendall Band, The Swingin' Blackjacks, The Vaudevillian, Tia McGraff, Toney Springer, and Tyler Ellis.  View Full Artist List on the Winterfolk website.

Winterfolk has moved this year to a new neighborhood, Kensington Market. With its multicultural mix of supermarkets, street food, charming boutiques, vintage clothing stores, and hip bars and cafés, Kensington Market feels like a perfect ‘bohemian’ fit for the festival. “Due to this change, Winterfolk’s lineup will be slightly scaled back so as to ease comfortably into our new digs, yet we will hopefully return back to full-strength next year once we’ve settled in,” said festival director Brian Gladstone. Kensington Market also feels like the perfect environment for fostering Winterfolk’s aim of strengthening diversity and inclusivity by adding to its yearly lineups more artists of colour, artists representing the LGBTQ+ community, Indigenous artists, women performers, and new young emerging talent.

Here are the Kensington Market venues hosting this year’s performances:

    Freetimes Café: 320 College St. Toronto, ON M5T 1S3; (416) 967-1078
    Taco Taco (2 stages): 319 Augusta Avenue, Kensington Market. Toronto, ON (416) 277-1856
    Supermarket: 268 Augusta Ave, Toronto  (416) 840-0501
    Church of St. Stephens (2 stages); 103 Bellevue Ave., Toronto, ON, M5T 2N8 (At the corner of Bellevue and College)
    Trinity Common -  303 Augusta Ave, Toronto, ON M5T 2M2

Directions are available on Winterfolk.com. Wristbands will also be made available on Winterfolk’s website (www.winterfolk.com) available now. A Weekend Pass is $30 allowing admittance to more than 80 performances,  (includes Friday stream), while Stream Passes are free, and donations are encouraged. A One Day Pass for either Saturday or Sunday is $20. Wristbands will be sent via post before February 10.Winterfolk will feature ‘cashless doors,’ meaning cash will not be accepted on entry. However, wristbands can be ordered from Winterfolk.com.