MARIPOSA MORE THAN FOLK FESTIVAL JULY 5-7 IN ORILLIA

Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

ORILLIA Who says you can’t always get what you want?

Not the Stones.

And not music lovers here in “Mariposa.”

If you caught the ‘No Filter Tour’ down the road Saturday at Burl’s Creek, you’re still outta your heads, because it was a gas, gas, gas.

But life’s a Hwy. 11 in these parts.

So, if you can’t wait for Boots & Hearts at the Oro events park next month — and you’ll miss the cancelled ’80s Roxodus Festival next week (which almost ended up at Burl’s Creek) — musical nirvana awaits you in Orillia the next three days, July 5-7 at Tudhope Park at the east end of the city on Hwy. 12.

The Mariposa Folk Festival is simply the greatest musical event near here, with all deference to Mick, Keith, Ronnie and Charlie.

Three days of music with a couple hundred musicians for all ages and tastes.

Mariposa is more than folk. It’s a lifestyle. It’s folks who play folk songs, but who are not folkies in the traditional sense.

For sure, there’s a ton of them (200 artists in total), covering best of 60 years of acoustics that speaks you through storytelling that gets ’er done without a lot of metaphor and double en tendre. And where love is not a four-letter word.

There’s a lot indies music with contemporary influences, Indengenous music (Snotty Nosed Rez Kids) and family fare (Sharon and Bram, Fred Penner) and cultural music sounds.

In other words, something for every musical taste.

With a dozen stages and music venues large and small catering to all music and food tastes there’s room for all lawn chairs.

Mariposa opens Friday on four stages, starting from to 2-4 p.m. at the free Downtown (Orillia) Stage with the Connor Brothers, Doozies and Deeps.

At 5 p.m. the music moves out to the peninsula park where three more stages will strike up the bands, including on the Main Stage Birds of Chicago, Lee Harvey Osmond, Hawksley Workman, Ralph, Steve Poltz and Half Moon Run.

Saturday and Sunday the entertainment, arts and culture festival continues with a dozen always fun smaller stages, that let you nestle in your lawn chair under the trees next to the stage.

A fan favourites is the singer-songwriter workshops, where artists from across the park drop in to jam.

Many of the acts you can find playing multiple times throughout the day at different stages. So, if you’re listening to a group one place, you can catch them later at another stage.

Make sure you pick up one of the great handy programs.

And it’s all for one price.

There are Friday tickets and weekend packages, as well.

For more information on all the artists and where and when they are playing, go online.

The Mariposa website it https://www.mariposafolk.com/

See the lists of artists at the following link below:

https://www.mariposafolk.com/the-festival/lineup-2/#/artists/alphabetical

Here’s a look at some of the 2018 Mariposa weekend – Photos by Mark Clairmont | MuskokaTODAY.com

 

You can hear Sharon Hampson and Bram Morrison a 1 p.m. on the Main Stage and 2 p.m. at the Sunshine Stage.
Orillia’s Downtown Stage kicks off the weekend play list with four acts Friday night and Saturday afternoon.