A few downpours weren’t enough to dampen the spirits of concert-goers during the 28th Mission Folk Music Festival on the weekend.
The annual event featured performers from around the world and despite wetter than normal conditions, organizers said the festival had a great atmosphere in spite of lower attendance figures.
“It was amazing and miraculous. Friday was a party in the rain,” said Francis Edwards, artistic director of the festival.
“When it rains like that I keep thinking, ‘who’s going to come out into a field?’ So it was really interesting to see all these people come prepared and ready for the weather.”
While the precipitation may have hindered attendance, Edwards said Fraser River Heritage Park certainly needed a good dousing.
“You could almost feel the park sigh in relief from the rain – it would have been nice if it came Wednesday though,” he said with a laugh.
Edwards joked that all the people in the Lower Mainland who “prayed for rain”, owe him a $1.
“Financially it will hurt,” he said about the rain, but there were thousands of pre-sold tickets that will take some of the sting away.
He was more concerned that musicians that came in from across the globe would be performing to an empty field. But that did not happen, in fact the crowd that did come was ready for a party.
“You don’t see people walking around groaning. People are happy to be here whether its raining or sunny. It’s been a really great weekend,” said Edwards.
After a few days of rest, work begins on preparing the 29 Mission Folk Music Festival and Edwards said there will be some challenges.
“We’ll have some financial issues to deal with. The challenges are there, but the resolve amongst everybody – the volunteers and the audience – are really supportive. We just have to work a little harder for next year.”
