Emmylou Harris, Tanya Tucker among headliners for 2023 Calgary Folk Festival

What's another sign that long summer days aren't too far off? The lineup for the Calgary Folk Music Festival has been announced. 

Headliners for the July event at Prince's Island Park include Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Emmylou Harris, Tanya Tucker, Jeff Tweedy, Bahamas, Aysanabee, Julia Jacklin and Canadian rock mainstay Matt Mays.

The 70 acts booked to play this year represent a range of musical styles, from folk to blues, hip-hop, jazz and reggae — from around the world, and from all over Canada as well.

Kerry Clarke, the festival's artistic and marketing director, said six stages will be up and running on the island, and people will want to show up early with their tarps to get a good spot.

"You know, first come, first serve, where you want to sit. Very egalitarian.You know, some people like to be up front some people like to be in the back near the screens," she said.

"People sit with their pals. They meet new friends. I have a lot of standing and dancing room on the side as usual."

In 2020, the festival was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the 2021 festival was scaled down, the event returned to relative normalcy last year.  This year, they're back up to full speed, Clarke says.

"We are at six stages during the day, including a free stage which is down near the lagoon and just over the bridge," she said.

"And so six stages during the day Saturday, Sunday, four stages Friday afternoon, and two stages each night except Sunday night in the evening." 

There will also be some family entertainment on hand through the festival, and a pair of Indigenous creators will record a podcast about ghost stories, as well.

This summer's festival will mark the 44th year of the event. It's slated to run from Thursday, July 27, to Sunday, July 30. Tickets are currently on sale. Early bird ticket sales end June 9 at 10 a.m.