Here we are: it’s already halfway through July and I’m still trying to check off the list of things I was going to do this summer. You know, lose a few pounds, read a stack of books, get the garden shipshape. Well, Labour Day is in six weeks and time’s a wastin’.

Fortunately for me, one summer commitment that I do manage to keep each year is attending the Vancouver Folk Music Festival (VFMF). Held down at Jericho Beach with a glorious view of the North Shore mountains, this year’s Festival features well-known musicians like Spirit of the West and Michael Franti and Spearhead, as well as a range of lesser-known and up-and-coming performers from around the world.

Given its name, you’d be right for thinking that the VFMF is centred around music. And it is. But really, it’s much more than that. It’s a positive, family-oriented weekend-long event that also celebrates and brings attention to a range of social and environmental issues. As the festival describes it, “We are the folks who every summer bring to life the vision of a better world during three magical days of sensational music and fun in Jericho Beach Park.” In short, it’s a catalyst for change.

Something magical happens down at the “folk fest”. Look carefully and you’ll see how they are bringing that vision of a better world to life:

• The festival has an ever-expanding community village hosting a range of progressive organizations representing a range of causes and issues: homelessness, poverty, youth advocacy, smart growth, and human rights—to name a few. They are joined by two art markets and the Little Folks Village, a festival within the festival where families can play and be entertained at the same time.


• For years the VFMF has taken responsible measures like offering secure bike lock-up to encourage bike riders, complete recycling (including compost bins), and biodegradable cutlery and reusable plates.


• The food is a definite highlight, and much of it is organic and fair trade. There is even an El Salvadorian non-profit selling food to benefit struggling villages in Central America.


• The festival engages more than 1,200 volunteers, all of them passionate to see the festival thrive, to build community and, of course, to see some great music.


• Families set up temporary camps with everything from blankets and flags, to pup tents and snacks, while kids run free throughout the site. And no one has to worry about his or her belongings getting stolen. It’s all rather carefree.

Brent Kane, a Vancouver-based blogger on all things sustainability-oriented, likens it to a gathering of the tribes. He comments, “I’m invigorated and politically recharged to be among the bike riders, hacky sackers, groovers, chillers, mothers and daughters, politicos, bloggers, vegan smoothie slurpers, and assorted flotsam and jetsam.” (Incidentally, one of my favourite t-shirts from the weekend was one with the slogan “Love. Dance. Subvert.”).

And the vibe isn’t just limited to what happens inside the gates. Outside, along the beachfront, the festival has spawned a modern day souk; hundreds of additional booths and tables (more than a kilometre-long) sell everything from handmade soap and organic cherries to back massages, tarot card readings and, yes, tie-dye shirts. Fortunately, by-law officers and park rangers look the other way for the weekend, and allow local commerce and community to flourish in a way that would normally be frowned upon.

Vancouverites and visitors seem to like it: throngs of people—on foot and bike—inch their way along the waterfront daily. It brings a vibrancy and touch of anarchy to our otherwise polite Canadian milieu.

These days, not a day goes by without another news report on the various challenges facing our planet. Climate change. Species extinction. Peak oil. War and terror. Escalating food prices. Yet, the festival shows that it is possible for humans to live consciously, positively and cooperatively—at least for a weekend.

So, as I lie in the shade of a majestic maple tree, listening to great music on the edge of the ocean, I’ll ponder that thought and consider how we can take the values of the folk festival and move them far beyond the gates. But that will have to wait until Monday morning. This is one weekend that it pays to live in the moment.