Serena Ryder and Lemon Bucket Orkestra returning to Folk

Folk on the Rocks 2023 will be headlined by Serena Ryder, organizers announced on Friday, while Lemon Bucket Orkestra will also play this year’s festival.

Both are returning to Folk, Yellowknife’s major annual music festival, for the second time. Seven-time Juno winner Ryder first played the main stage in 2006.

Lemon Bucket Orkestra played a memorable Folk set in 2016, continuing to perform at the beer garden stage even after the entire festival site lost power.

Also revealed for 2023 in Friday’s first of three announcements were folk band Status/Non-Status, Mexico City group BuenRostro, Vancouver rock-synth group Hyaenas and Edmonton rapper K-Riz.

Northern acts announced on Friday include Whitehorse’s Erica Dee Mah alongside Yellowknife’s Brenden MacIntosh, JDBS, Mariel, and Matt Andersen. Annual performers Bella Beats and the Yellowknives Dene Drummers were also confirmed.

Further lineup announcements are due on April 14 and May 19. Organizers said “a doozy” of an announcement is still to come.

In a press release, Folk promised attendees “a mash-up of northern-style celebrations and a variety of art, music and performances.”

Early bird tickets are on sale for this year’s festival, which runs from July 14-16.

Cabin Radio will again broadcast full, live coverage of Folk on the Rocks 2023 with 30 hours of live music from three stages across the weekend. Meanwhile, the Cabin Stage will host some of the festival’s most exciting acts in an intimate lakeside environment.