About

Friday 3rd April - Monday 6th April 2026

Easter weekend is approaching! Come celebrate our 50th anniversary with a huge weekend of live music, workshops, and camaraderie in Waipara. We're celebrating fifty years of folk in Waitaha Canterbury, with our largest lineup to date, featuring everything from soulful country and high-energy swing to traditional Celtic reunions and English harmonies!

The Lineup for 2026:

• Mike Dr Blue is a legendary blues musician and storyteller with contagious enthusiasm.
• Ōtepoti's best acoustic swing quintet, Skin & Bone, are prepared to rock the dance floor.
• Lisa Tui: Heartfelt tunes and a powerful voice, Lisa is leading our 2026 Festival Choir.
• Just Janie: dreamy, nostalgic alt-folk influenced by the Laurel Canyon scene of the 1970s.
• Expect engaging songs and tales of New Zealand's colonial outlaws and rebels by Chris Priestley and Cameron Bennett.
• The Larks: a Brisbane-based band performing beautiful, unaccompanied traditional English harmonies.
• Tahla Ward: Southland/Waikato singer-songwriter, delivering soulful country and folk alongside powerful waiata

What to expect from the festival:

• Concerts throughout the day and night from our guest artists and more
• Workshops from each of our talented guest artists
• A Friday night Ceilidh / Barn dance - no dancing skill needed!
• A jam-packed Children’s programme for music and dance 
• A youth programme for our budding musicians
• Informal jam sessions - find a group and join in!
• Blackboard Concerts - Folk open mics with the festivals hidden gems 
• Festival Choir - join in and learn a song or two
• Blind Date - put your name in a hat and join an impromptu band with one of our guests for the weekend!

Our jam-packed Children’s programme for music and dance includes workshops and performances by our favourite fairy, Rainbow Rosalind! Come along to listen and sing, or catch her around the festival site spreading her fairy magic with bubbles and glitter.

And our youth programme for budding musicians - join the youth band and work together to prepare a set. This year's amazing mentors are Adrian Hughes and Dhanesh Parmar, joined by Tahla Ward - all accomplished performing musicians with lots of skills to share.

See full details on our website or Check out our 2026 Timetable!

Filled to the brim with good vibes and musical joy, the Canterbury Folk Festival has something for everyone. Come along and find out why we’ve been going for 50 years strong!
 

Dates

Location

Get directions

Waipara Adventure Centre
137 Darnley Road, Glasnevin, Waipara Canterbury 7483

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