CityFolk kicks off at Lansdowne: Here's what you need to know about the festival
Live music returns to Lansdowne Park this evening, as CityFolk music festival kicks off.
The organizers of RBC Ottawa Bluesfest and CityFolk are hosting the Ottawa Fall Festivals - Two live music events on the Great Lawn at Lansdowne over the next two weekends.
CityFolk runs from Thursday to Saturday, while Ottawa Bluesfest will run from Sept. 23 to 25.
COVID-19 restrictions include only fully vaccinated fans allowed to attend the festival, all patrons must wear a mask at all times except while eating and drinking and capacity is capped at 5,000 people a night.
Attending their first live event in months, married couple Asher and Asha Kaye Jesionka picked a spot on the Great Lawn away from the crowd but still close to the stage.
"I was texting my wife earlier today and say, 'Hon, I'm so excited to go to a show with you and finally experience a snippet of summer,'" said Asher Jesionka.
"It's great, it feels a little weird,” said Jesionka’s wife, Asha Kaye. "Everybody’s vaccinated they’re enforcing mask use so it feels like the right step."
Following Ontario's road map, Step 3 allows festivals like CityFolk to return to the Great Lawn – A big leap for Ottawa as it continues to get through the pandemic.
"I think the fact we are taking the measures has comforted people and people want to hear live music again and this is a great opportunity," said Mark Monohan, executive director of RBC Ottawa Bluesfest and CityFolk.
This is the first of two major live music festivals taking place this month at Landsdowne Park. Next weekend, Bluesfest makes its return which is expected to draw crowds back to this space.
"I’ve missed this; it’s good to be back. It’s good to be back," said Akka Dawood, who showed up to CityFolk with his friends to see Roy Woods perform live.
"There’s a lot of space to be able to move and dance and the front crowd isn’t even crowded that much compared to pre-pandemic, so I felt pretty comfortable around here."
Here is a look at what you need to know about CityFolk.
CITYFOLK LINE-UP
Thursday
- Tome – First Up with RBCXMUSIC
- Roy Woods
- DVSN
- Charlotte Day Wilson
Friday
- Command Sisters
- Moist
- Our Lady Peace
Saturday
- Sacha
- The Reklaws
- Dean Brody
TICKETS
Tickets are only available online for CityFolk and RBC Ottawa Bluesfest. There will be no box office onsite to purchase tickets.
Visit Ottawa Fall Festivals to purchase tickets.
NO CASH
Ottawa Fall Festivals are completely cashless for all purchases on the site, including drinks, food and merchandise.
You can use Apple Pay, Google Pay, tap to pay and all major credit cards at CityFolk and RBC Ottawa Bluesfest.
ATTENDANCE ON THE GREAT LAWN
Attendance will be capped at 5,000 patrons each night during CityFolk to ensure enough space for physical distancing.
Organizers say this is below 50 per cent of the Great Lawn's full capacity.
COVID-19 VACCINATION POLICY
Only fully vaccinated COVID-19 fans will be allowed to attend CityFolk this weekend and RBC Ottawa Bluesfest next weekend.
"There are no exemptions (religious or medical reasons) without proof and (patrons) will be required to prove status at the gates either through a digital or printed copy," says a message on the website.
Attendees must comply with the Festival Fan Health Pledge.
Everyone must wear a mask onsite at all times. Organizers say the removal of a mask is allowed as per provincial guidelines when you are eating, drinking, or for other medical reasons.
TRAVELLING TO THE FESTIVAL
OC Transpo service is free to and from the festival. Show your ticket to board transit from three hours before gates open and three hours after the final performance of the night.
Parking is available at Lansdowne Park.
Valet bike parking will be available at Lansdowne.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
1 arrested in northern Alberta during public shelter order
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
New deep-water channel allows first ship to pass Key bridge wreckage in Baltimore
The first cargo ship passed through a newly opened deep-water channel in Baltimore on Thursday after being stuck in the harbor since the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed four weeks ago, halting most maritime traffic through the city's port.
First in Canada procedure performed at London, Ont. hospital
A London man has become the first person in Canada to receive a robotic assisted surgery on his spine. Dave Myeh suffered from debilitating, chronic back pain that led to sciatica in his right now and extreme pain in his lower back.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.