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Easter weekend is approaching!
Come celebrate our 50th anniversary with a huge weekend of live music, workshops, and camaraderie in Waipara. We're celebrating fifty years of folk in Waitaha Canterbury, with our largest lineup to date, featuring everything from soulful country and high-energy swing to traditional Celtic reunions and English harmonies!
The Lineup for 2026:
- Claddagh: Legends of Celtic music and Tui award winners joining for a special anniversary reunion.
- Mike Dr Blue is a legendary blues musician and storyteller with contagious enthusiasm.
- Ōtepoti's best acoustic swing quintet, Skin & Bone, are prepared to rock the dance floor.
- Lisa Tui: Heartfelt tunes and a powerful voice, Lisa is leading our 2026 Festival Choir.
- Just Janie: dreamy, nostalgic alt-folk influenced by the Laurel Canyon scene of the 1970s.
- Expect engaging songs and tales of New Zealand's colonial outlaws and rebels by Chris Priestley and Cameron Bennett.
- The Larks: a Brisbane-based band performing beautiful, unaccompanied traditional English harmonies.
- Tahla Ward: Southland/Waikato singer-songwriter, delivering soulful country and folk alongside powerful waiata
What to expect from the festival:
- Concerts throughout the day and night from our guest artists and more
- Workshops from each of our talented guest artists
- A Friday night Ceilidh / Barn dance - no dancing experience needed!
- A jam-packed Children’s programme for music and dance
- A youth programme for our budding musicians
- Informal jam sessions - find a group and join in!
- Blackboard Concerts - Folk open mics with the festivals hidden gems
- Festival Choir - join in and learn a song or two
- Blind Date - put your name in a hat and join an impromptu band with one of our guests for the weekend!
Ticketing
Weekend, Day and evening passes avaliable.
For full ticketing information, please head to their ticketing site.
See full details on our website at www.canterburyfolkfestival.org.nz
Filled to the brim with good vibes and musical joy, the Canterbury Folk Festival has something for everyone. Come along and find out why we’ve been going for 50 years strong!
Certified Self Contained Motorcaravan Parking
There are multiple unpowered campsites scattered throughout the facility. You can choose between quiet seclusion, evening or morning sun, or pitch your ‘tent with a view'!
All campsites are close to the bathroom and kitchen facilities.
Unpowered campsites are free with your weekend pass fees (unlimited unpowered sites available) and powered campsites cost $20 in addition to your weekend pass fees (limited powered sites available). Make sure to purchase this add-on when you buy your pass.
Kitchen Facilities
There are multiple kitchen facilities, which can be found in all of the main camping/building areas. The newer kitchen is situated in the main camping site next to bathroom & small lounge facilities. This kitchen has a double wall oven, hobbs, extractor fan, pantry and two sinks.
A small fridge/freezer is available for use, but is very minimal, and campers are advised to bring chilly bins and chilly bin ice packs.
A small kitchen is situated in the bunk house. This kitchen is close to bathroom facilities and a large family friendly lounge. A large caterers kitchen adjoins the main concert hall and is used by the commercial caterers throughout the festival. This is not available for public use.
There are plenty of places to relax, eat, socialise and enjoy both inside and outside, and all kitchens are in close proximity to small lounges/dining areas and tabled outside spaces.
Bathroom facilities
There are toilets in the lower campground.
There are clean bathrooms and shower facilities close to all of the bunk rooms and main camping areas. All showers have both hot and cold running water.
Toilet blocks are close to all kitchens, tent sites, bunk rooms, concert lounges and hall. Toilet paper and hand basin soap only are provided.
For inquires, contact 027 454 3885.
No dogs allowed
