Joel Plaskett will return to Folk on the Rocks for the Yellowknife music festival’s 40th anniversary, joining other stars of past festivals making the return trip north.
Joel Plaskett Emergency, Fred Penner, and Shred Kelly are among the first acts confirmed for Folk on the Rocks 2020. Festival selections committee member Mike Westwick revealed the names live on Cabin Radio on Thursday morning.
Lemon Bucket Orkestra and Haviah Mighty are also on the 2020 list.
Also confirmed to return this year is Yellowknife DJ Kilo November, an 11-year-old who took last year’s Folk on the Rocks by storm.
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Other artists revealed on Thursday include RIIT, Celeigh Cardinal, and Leaf Rapids.
Locally, acts confirmed to appear include Laurie Sarkadi, the NWT Creative Collective, and the Yellowknives Dene Drummers.
Folk on the Rocks had long been rumoured to be recalling standout acts from past festivals to celebrate its 40th birthday.
Plaskett and Lemon Bucket Orkestra were highlights of 2016’s festival. More than a dozen Lemon Bucket members famously played through a power cut in the Folk on the Rocks beer garden.
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Legendary children’s musician Penner performed at Folk on the Rocks in 2011. Shred Kelly headlined the festival in 2015.
This is the first of three lineup reveals for the 2020 festival. Two more waves of acts are to be confirmed later in March and in early April.
Early-bird tickets for this year’s festival, taking place from July 17-19, will be on sale until May.
Cabin Radio will broadcast 30 hours of live coverage for the third year in a row, while the Cabin Stage returns for 2020 with a new lineup of intimate, lakeside sets.
