Saskatoon Folkfest is pleased to announce that Culture Connect – Folkfest 2021 will be streamed live on Friday, August 20, and Saturday, August 21 starting at 7 p.m. on our Facebook and YouTube channels.

Culture Connect will bring together local organizations for two evenings filled with cultural music, dance, and song. From the lake, the backyard, or home viewers can tune in digitally and experience cultural music, dance, and singing along with cooking and other demonstrations. Many long-time pavilion favorites will be part of Culture Connect including Bangladesh, Central America & Mexico, Chinese, Francophone, German, Greek, Hungarian, India, Irish, Nepal, Philippines, Scottish, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, and Ukrainian Karpaty. Of course, as Folkfest is synonymous with food, there will be even more cooking demonstrations this year!

Notwithstanding the success and positive public response that we received from our 2020 virtual event, Folkfest Gives Back. We recognize that a virtual festival does not fully fill the void of the typical in-person Folkfest experience. We are excited to include some new activities prior to and during the live stream to create engagement opportunities that will connect our patrons digitally with our member cultural communities – Folkfest pavilions.

We have expanded the Folkfest Youth Ambassador program to include digital Cultural Episodes. In addition to personal statements and participating in an intercultural dance, youth will be selecting an aspect of their culture to delve into and share with the public. This summer’s program includes twenty-four youth representing twelve cultures. These enthusiastic ambassadors will also connect with the community by responding to questions that are structured similar to Streeter interviews. The questions will be from Folkfest sponsors, community leaders, and You! Check out the online interactives tab for more details and how to submit your question. Click here for online interactives . A few lucky Folkfesters will have their question selected and featured this summer!

In the weeks leading up to the festival, we will also be hosting cultural workshops where individuals can register to connect by Zoom with our pavilion cultural mentors and explore topics such as cuisine, dance, language, sports, celebrations, crafts, music, and traditional instruments.

We have also launched an online food sale site. A first for Folkfest! Head to shopstoonfolkfest.com to place your order for mouth-watering favorites from the Philippines Pavilion.

We hope that you and your family will join us for Folkfest 2021 – Culture Connect this summer for a fun, engaging, and safe virtual festival. Mark your calendars and gather you’re bubble in the backyard for two cultural summer evenings.

Keep up to date on all of this year’s exciting activities on our social media channels and website.