Summer's last party brings folk and roots to the river

Down by the River Festival is back for a second year at Louise McKinney Riverfront Park, bringing together more than two dozen local, national, and international performers from Sept. 18 to 20. The opening headliner is Toronto's The Rural Alberta Advantage, representing a bit of a homecoming for frontman Nils Edenloff. "The fall in Edmonton is such a beautiful time," he told CKUA. "I have beautiful memories of starting university in that timeframe, so I'm really looking forward to it." Saturday's headliner is singer-songwriter Vincent Neil Emerson, and Nova Scotia's Goldie Boutilier, a standout at the 2025 Edmonton Folk Music Festival, brings it home on Sunday.

Many of the non-headlining acts are Alberta artists, including Edmonton's The Denim Daddies, Tayler Grace, The Nico Tobias Band, The Western Thistles, and Jed and the Valentine. Many of the bands were chosen from 300 applicants, artistic director Sahib Quraishi told Edify, and the decisions were difficult. "It's so much music to listen to, and you want to give everyone a fair shot," he said. On the grounds, Sea Change Brewing Co. will return with an upgraded saloon that doubles as an art installation. The festival is also partnering with Freson Bros. to provide food, and vintage vendors will pop up as part of the Honky Tonk Market.

A sense of community and local identity is a big part of the festival, Quraishi told CBC Edmonton's Radio Active, citing a fan who called it "a big bear hug." Down by the River might be compared to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival in terms of programming and the outdoors-ness of it all, but Quraishi doesn't think the two festivals are all that similar. "There's not really any desire to compete with them," he said. "They're both important — Folk Fest is such a big inspiration to us. We wouldn't really exist without … going to that in the first place." So far, the weather gods are smiling, with highs in the 20s forecast for the weekend.