Canterbury Folk Festival 2026: 50 Years of Folk! ?✨
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 and English harmonies!
The Lineup for 2026:
Claddagh: Legends of Celtic music and Tui award winners, reuniting especially for us.
Mike Dr Blue is a legendary blues musician and storyteller with contagious enthusiasm.
Skin & Bone: Ōtepoti's best acoustic swing quintet 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.
Chris Priestley and Cameron Bennett will be treating us to engaging songs and tales of New Zealand's colonial outlaws and rebels.
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 experience 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!
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!
