Mission Folk Music Festival unveils lineup for 39th annual event, spanning swing duo Blue Moon Marquee and soul singer Tanika Charles
From July 24 to 26, Fraser River Heritage Park hosts artists from B.C. and beyond
Blue Moon Marquee (left) and Tanika Charles.
B.C. SWING DUO Blue Moon Marquee and Ontario soul singer Tanika Charles are among the talents hitting the stage at this year’s Mission Folk Music Festival.
Taking place from July 24 to 26 at Fraser River Heritage Park, the just-announced 39th annual event features dozens of artists from across Canada and beyond.
Along with Blue Moon Marquee—which is known for its wide-ranging sound that traces blues, jazz, jump and jive, folk, country, and Indigenous soul—six more B.C. artists are slated to perform on the festival main stage throughout the weekend. Those include folk-roots collective the Fugitives and Brendan McLeod’s Holy Guacamole. Vancouver artsgoers will know McLeod and the Fugitives from their recent multidisciplinary collaboration Ridge, which sets little-known First World War stories onstage. The piece’s soundtrack was released as an album called Trench Songs and garnered a 2022 Juno Award nomination for best traditional roots record.
Elsewhere at the Mission festival, B.C. talent spans country-influenced singer-songwriter Élise LeBlanc, Indigenous hand-drum trio Mahihkan, and R&B songstress Rebecca Sichon. Then there’s Guinea-born, B.C.–based guitarist-vocalist Alpha Yaya Diallo and his band BAFING, and high-energy band the Pub Crawlers, which blends Celtic, maritime, and northern-European folk sounds.
More Canadian performers on the lineup include Alberta-based Métis fiddler Brianna Lizotte and Manitoba duo Burnstick, which pairs lap-slide guitar with moving harmonies. Newfoundland folk singer Kellie Loder balances a mix of Americana and indie-pop influences. And Ontario-based duo DIVKA is composed of bandurist Alina Kuzma and violist Zoë Ëoz, who pump traditional Ukrainian folk music full of femme power. On a similar note, Ukrainian Canadian singer Nastasia Y is also taking the stage.
From a bit farther away, there’s Massachusetts-born, P.E.I.–based blues-rock musician Joce Reyome, the LowDown Brass Band from Illinois, and Oregon-based duo the Horsenecks. Rounding out the lineup is Sauljaljui, an Indigenous vocalist all the way from southern Taiwan, and singer-songwriter Michael McGovern, who hails from Scotland.
A handful of hyperlocal Fraser Valley artists will be performing at the festival, including CocoLarosa, the Imaginary Band, Ivan Boudreau, Joan Hughes with Boris Sichon, and Strong Bow & Wry. As usual, there will of course also be the audience-participation Festival Choir and Youth Open Stage, this time featuring the MarKaren Trio.
Elsewhere on the grounds, expect to find a food court, artisan market, beer garden, workshops, and song circles. And if you’re coming from out of town, there’s onsite camping, so you can sink into a warm sleeping bag at the end of each music-filled day.
Weekend passes for the fest are on sale now. Day and evening passes will be up for grabs starting May 13. 
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