Crowds gather for 10th edition of Montreal Folk Fest
More than 100 people gathered along the banks of the Lachine Canal Saturday
The 10th edition of the Montreal Folk Festival kicked off this week along the Lachine Canal.
Crowds gathered at the event to enjoy open-air folk, roots and bluegrass concerts.
The first edition of the Montreal Folk Festival was a one-day event that attracted around 500 people.
It's evolved during the past decade to include indoor and outdoor programming.
Last year, the festival hosted more than 30,000 fans over five days.
For this year's lineup, organizers brought together 30 artists for the festival, many of whom are performing for free at the outdoor festival stage.
This year's ticketed indoor events featured tribute concerts to the work of Penny Lang and Willie Nelson.
Located at the Centennial Esplanade, the festival site is walking distance from St-Henri Metro station.
Along with some well-known Canadian folk acts, the festival also featured some homegrown Quebec performers like Marie-Ève Roy and Tireux d'Roches.
The free event was bustling with families partaking in face painting and inflatable games.
Four years ago, the festival created a youth bursary to encourage local kids to pursue their passion for music.
The Lhasa de Sela Youth Bursary for Excellence in Music has since been awarded to 10 people.
The festivals ends Sunday, June 18, with an 8 p.m. concert by Canadian singer/songwriter Sarah Harmer.