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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
Train derailed in Sarnia after colliding with a truck
Police are investigating after a transport truck collided with a train in Sarnia.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Fewer medical students going into family medicine contributing to doctor shortage
As some family doctors are retiring and others are moving away from family medicine, there are fewer medical students to take their place.
'It's discriminatory': Individuals refused entry to Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
Individuals being barred from entering Ontario’s legislature while wearing a keffiyeh say the garment is part of their cultural identity— and the only ones making it political are the politicians banning it.
Bodies found by U.S. authorities searching for missing B.C. kayakers
United States authorities who have been searching for a pair of missing kayakers from British Columbia since the weekend have recovered two bodies in the nearby San Juan Islands of Washington state.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.