Winnipeg Folk Fest will discourage headdresses at future festivals

The Winnipeg Folk Festival has made the decision to ask festivalgoers not to wear headdresses in future years. 

The decision comes after a patron at this year's event was publicly shamed on social media for donning a headdress as well as face paint. 

• Woman spotted wearing traditional head piece, face paint angers festivalgoers

A spokesperson for the festival released this statement to CBC News on Wednesday:

"The Winnipeg Folk Festival is a place of respect – for each other and each other's culture and we celebrate inclusiveness and diversity. We do not condone cultural appropriation and, for the most part, our patrons are attuned to what is culturally appropriate and what is not. We have been in conversation with members of our aboriginal community and see this isolated incident of a woman wearing a headdress as an opportunity for education and cultural sharing. Given the festival is now over for the year we are taking time for dialogue with our Aboriginal Advisory Committee to discuss this issue and our next steps, however we will certainly be asking patrons to not wear headdresses."

The spokesperson said that further decisions are forthcoming as the festival is still nearly a year away.