Whoop & Hollar Folk Festival

Whoop & Hollar Folk Festival Save the dates: AUGUST 29 & 30, 2026. 12th annual festival. Celebrating local music, art, nature, and community. Two days of music, two nights of camping.

Whoop & Hollar Folk Festival is an award-winning non-profit organization and annual festival in Manitoba, Canada that creates and celebrates community through music, art, and nature. By means of its year-round programming, Whoop & Hollar is focused on promoting, supporting, preserving, and expanding its unique local and regional music, arts, and culture scene.

2025 FESTIVAL (August 23-24):

Just

40 minutes west of Winnipeg and 5 minutes southeast of Portage la Prairie, the award-winning Whoop & Hollar Folk Festival is ready for its 11th year! "Free Your Spirit" and enjoy a weekend of music, art, nature, and community. This year, Saturday's festivities will take place at Cottonwood Acres on Provincial Road 331, while Sunday will see free concerts at Portage la Prairie's Island Park. Share in the warmth of an authentic grassroots festival, featuring some of the very best Canadian and Manitoban musical talent (15+ acts) playing over an entire weekend. Valdy is headlining this year! Experience the true heart and spirit of the prairies while walking the winding nature trails, enjoying the wild pollinator garden, and discovering the magical assortment of trees in a cozy, pastoral setting. Dance the night away, bring an instrument and join a jam session, or hang out in the quaint red barn between mainstage shows. Fun for all ages! Check out the interactive workshops and family-friendly programming, plus "Artisan Alley" featuring a variety of local artwork and handmade gems. Food vendors will cater to a variety of tastes (picnics are welcome). Free tent camping Friday and Saturday night on main festival site, with festival pass (see below). Tent campground opens 6:00 pm on Friday. Paid RV Camping at Portage Ex Campground near Island Park. Lineup, schedule, tickets, and more details at whoopandhollar.com.



LOCATION(S):

SATURDAY, AUGUST 23 @ COTTONWOOD ACRES: 33165 Provincial Road 331, Southport, MB, 2.5 km east of junction of Highways 240 & 331 (search for "Whoop & Hollar Folk Festival" on Google Maps). SUNDAY, AUGUST 24 @ ISLAND PARK Ukrainian Connection Bandstand, George Hill Drive, Portage la Prairie, MB

SCHEDULE:

Saturday, August 23rd: Gates open at 11:00 am at Cottonwood Acres. Musical performances and festivities run from noon to midnight. Gates close at 2:00 am to all festival-goers who aren't registered to camp on site. Sunday, August 24th: Musical performances and festivities run from 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm at Island Park. CAMPING:

Tent campers may set up on site (at Cottonwood Acres) on Friday, August 22nd between 6:00 pm and 10:00 pm or on Saturday, August 23rd between 10:00 am and 11:00 am. All tent campers must be pre-registered with the purchase of a festival pass (camping included). No music or programming takes place on Friday. RV Campers can click here to book their weekend camping spots at the Portage Ex Campground, a 10-minute drive from the festival site and accessible via a free shuttle service offered by the festival at designated times.

Warm sunny days and cool clear nights are reminding us that Whoop & Hollar is right around the corner (August 29th & 30t...
08/09/2026

Warm sunny days and cool clear nights are reminding us that Whoop & Hollar is right around the corner (August 29th & 30th)! 🌞

Explore the lineup, plan your workshops, check out the vendors, and learn more about this year's program at whoopandhollar.com. 🎶

Tickets at whoopandhollar.com/tickets or Hill's Drug Store (early bird rate until the gate). 17 & under free.

A sneak peek at some of the snazzy new Whoop & Hollar swag available at this year's festival on August 29th & 30th!Get y...
08/07/2026

A sneak peek at some of the snazzy new Whoop & Hollar swag available at this year's festival on August 29th & 30th!

Get your hands on some funky hats, socks, bandanas, and stickers at the merch tent beside the mainstage.

Get your "folk" on this summer!

(Item styles may vary slightly from the photo samples)

The Festival Schedule is here! 🙌Start planning which concerts you want to see, which workshops you want to attend, and a...
08/01/2026

The Festival Schedule is here! 🙌

Start planning which concerts you want to see, which workshops you want to attend, and all the other fun things you can do at Whoop & Hollar 2026 on August 29th & 30th!!

🎶 Over 15 Musical Performances
🍔 Food Vendors
💎 Artisan Alley Mini Market
🎪 Family Area (17 & Under FREE)
🌼 Hands-On Workshops
🖼 Art Installation
🌳 Nature Trails
🎸 Jam Sessions
AND MORE!

Get your festival tickets at whoopandhollar.com/tickets (early bird rate until the gate). Note that Sunday's "Folk in the Park" is free to attend, but we recommend registering for Sunday's event when you buy your Saturday tickets online.

Saturday tickets are also available at Hill's Drug Store in Portage (200 Saskatchewan Ave E).

Full festival details can be found at whoopandhollar.com! "Whoop, Whoop!"

We can hardly wait to welcome you to the 12th annual festival on August 29th & 30th!📸 Tristen Sokolosky / Golden West
07/30/2026

We can hardly wait to welcome you to the 12th annual festival on August 29th & 30th!

📸 Tristen Sokolosky / Golden West

Our heartfelt condolences to Brian's family and friends. Brian was a long-time volunteer and familiar face at Whoop & Ho...
07/28/2026

Our heartfelt condolences to Brian's family and friends.

Brian was a long-time volunteer and familiar face at Whoop & Hollar, lending his time and talent at events, fundraisers, and the annual summer festival since our very first gathering back in 2015.

Thank you for your many contributions over the years, Brian. You will be missed by your Whoop & Hollar family and the many attendees you have greeted over the years; rest in peace.

View Brian Kim Erickson's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.

2026 FESTIVAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:ORIT SHIMONIFolk / Roots / Singer-Songwriter Winnipeg, MB Saturday, Aug. 29th @ 2:30 pm &...
07/26/2026

2026 FESTIVAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

ORIT SHIMONI

Folk / Roots / Singer-Songwriter

Winnipeg, MB

Saturday, Aug. 29th @ 2:30 pm & 5:15 pm (mainstage)

MUSIC SAMPLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1MUCatExUA&t=116s

FESTIVAL TICKETS: whoopandhollar.com/tickets (link in bio)

From teacher and academic to an independent, Canadian singer songwriter, recording artist, storyteller, writer and painter, Orit Shimoni took to the road full-time in 2010. With her guitar on her back and a suitcase, back and forth across Canada and Europe, crossing barriers, boundaries and demographics, she has been singing her truths, her feelings and her stories wherever she’s found purchase to do so, in bars and clubs and cafes, in coffee houses and folk fests hall, theatres back yards and living rooms, and even on trains. Orit Shimoni

In 2020, the pandemic hit and literally stopped her in her tracks and shut down all her options as a live performing artist and left her stranded and locked down in Winnipeg.

Bold and raw, soft and tender, witty and humorous, mixing things like empathy with condemnation, visceral with spiritual, or whimsy perhaps, to unveil a real violence, Orit’s folksy, bluesy, country lyrics and melodies and her haunting voice speak to the human condition, the human heart and the world and times that we find ourselves in. Every word demands attention and every song pierces the skin of its own unsettled ground, leaving you weeping perhaps, or silent or elated or enraged or something else entirely. She doesn’t hold back, and yet, we are carried forward still by her incredible balance and faith and optimism and hope.

WEBSITE: oritshimoni.com

2026 FESTIVAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:GRUPO EL SOLARLatin Fusion / Cumbia / Folk / Experimental Winnipeg, MBSaturday, August 29...
07/24/2026

2026 FESTIVAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

GRUPO EL SOLAR

Latin Fusion / Cumbia / Folk / Experimental

Winnipeg, MB

Saturday, August 29th @ 11:00 pm (Mainstage)

MUSIC SAMPLE: https://www.instagram.com/el_solar_wpg?igsh=MXBlNngzcm13Z29pdw==

FESTIVAL TICKETS: whoopandhollar.com/tickets

Winnipeg-based musician Rafael Reyes (The Mariachi Ghost) is the main instigator behind the musical group El Solar, made up of varying combinations of band members from groups like The Mariachi Ghost, El León & The Strangers, Juvel, and other local acts.

The band got its start at The Super Elite, a mini variety show curated by Ben Darvill (Son Of Dave) which is held regularly at the Garrick Hotel Bar. During their first show, El Solar had the whole floor dancing to their quick rhythms and lively beats, and they have continued to perform around Winnipeg to great acclaim.

The genre of music they play is Chicha, a unique sub-genre of Cumbia, which is one of the most popular and widely recognized musical genres in all of the Americas. Chicha originated in Peru in the 1960s, combining Cumbia, Rock ’n’ Roll, Psychedelia and Surf Rock.

Get ready to dance the night away at this year's festival!!

2026 FESTIVAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:SCOTT NOLANFolk / Roots / Country Winnipeg, MB Saturday, August 29th @ 7:00 pm (mainstage...
07/19/2026

2026 FESTIVAL ARTIST SPOTLIGHT:

SCOTT NOLAN

Folk / Roots / Country

Winnipeg, MB

Saturday, August 29th @ 7:00 pm (mainstage)

MUSIC SAMPLE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P75m_yAL-vE

FESTIVAL TICKETS: whoopandhollar.com/tickets

We are pleased to welcome Scott back to Whoop & Hollar this summer! This time, he will be performing with Helen White, a familiar name in the Portage la Prairie music scene.

Scott Nolan is an acclaimed Folk/Roots songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and poet from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Treaty One territory. Releasing 7 albums since 2005, Scott's latest album was released in December. He is known for his intimate, engaging performances and often humourous ‘patter’ between songs.

Hayes Carll, Mary Gauthier, William Prince, and many others have recorded his songs. He has co-written with Hayes, Mary, William Prince, among others. He is perhaps best known for ‘Bad Liver and a Broken Heart’, which Hayes Carll made ‘famous’.

Nolan has toured with Carll, Gauthier, James McMurtry, Fred Eaglesmith and very recently with fellow singer-songwriter Joe Nolan. Over the past decade or so, he produced albums for William Prince, Lynne Hanson, Watermelon Slim, Stephen Fearing, and many others.

WEBSITE: scottnolan.ca

Whoop & Hollar's 50/50 Raffle is well underway! Many thanks to everyone who already supported the fundraiser. Head on do...
07/17/2026

Whoop & Hollar's 50/50 Raffle is well underway! Many thanks to everyone who already supported the fundraiser.

Head on down to Blessings Collection in Portage, Tuesday through Saturday (11 am - 3 pm), to get your tickets: 3 for $10 or 10 for $20!

Draw date will be August 30th at the end of the festival weekend.

07/15/2026

Address

33165 Provincial Road 331 (Box 102A, RR#3)
Portage La Prairie, MB
R1N3A3

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