The 39th Annual Vancouver Folk Music Festival gets underway the weekend of July 15-17, starting off on Friday afternoon with musicians performing from all over the world through Sunday night. This is one of my favourite music festivals, I have attended 30+ festivals over the years! Each year, as much as I look forward to the music I also look forward to the food.
Get ready to enjoy the food and the music!
Here is a run-down of what to eat at the fest:
Aussie Pie Guy
Delish savory & veggie pies in a flaky pastry crust. One bite of these little ‘beauties’ and you’ll think you’re ‘down undah.’
B and B Concessions
Choose from a variety of yummy sweet or savory crepes. A crepe a day keeps the blues away.
Big Rock Beer Garden
Beer-inspired bar snacks, a pint of refreshing Big Rock ale or lager (or a glass of Barefoot Wine), and a view of the Main Stage or the North Shore Mountains. Life doesn’t get much better.
Canadian Kettle Corn Extreme
The combination of sweetness and light salty flavor make Kettle Corn a delicious crunchy bite sized snack in a class of its own.
Chickpea Food Truck
Spreading chickpeace one fresh, super-stuffed, falafel pita at a time. This is vegetarian comfort food with a Mediterranean twist!
The Crazy Italian
Meatball sliders, crazy Italian salad stack, and grilled sausages from the old country. Mama Mia!
Culver City Salads
Culver City folks believe that ‘you do win friends with salad.’ Come by and experience some fresh, delicious, plant based goodness!
Curb Your Appetite (Dinner by Bayan)
When Bayan is cooking, we dare you to try to curb your appetite! Authentic Chinese snack food – right off the truck – has never tasted so good!
Dim Sum Express
Tasty stir-fried noodles and plump shrimp or pork dumplings will make your taste buds go ‘yum yum’ for dim sum.
Earnest Ice Cream
Can it get any better than enjoying Earnest’s mouth watering locally made artisan ice cream on a sunny day at the festival?
El Coroto Fusion Latin Kitchen
Traditional Venezuelan Arepa, attuned to a vegetarian and Vegan frame of mind. Prepared with locally sourced, organic ingredients, El Coroto infuses Latin culture with a distinctively West Coast approach.
G’s Donairs
Greek salad, falafel, pita with tzatziki, hummus and delicious donairs. Enjoy the magical combination of Mediterranean food and mesmerizing music!
I’s Freshly Squeezed Lemonade
Feeling parched? Fresh squeezed lemonade to the rescue!
It’s All About Grill
Oh those tasty meat skewers! Garlic chicken, rib-eye beef, spicy pork and bacon wrapped sausages have never tasted so good.
JJ’s Hot Cob
The festival would not be complete without at least one trip for steam-cooked, juicy cobs of corn slathered in melted butter and flavoured with savory salts.
Johnny’s Pops
Made right in Vancouver with locally sourced ingredients. Find Johnny’s and cool down in the hot sun with a frozen, delicious fruity delight.
The Kaboom Box
We’ve invited this favourite downtown food truck to the park. The Kaboom Box crew’s ‘kickass’ food is the stuff of legend and their oyster po’boy is to die for.
Left Coast Naturals
Festival-goers, volunteers and performers alike look forward to these innovative and creative snack foods. Come enjoy something from this favourite festival vendor.
Marie’s Guilt Free Bakery
Come on, treat yourself and have a delicious gluten-free fresh, local and healthy goody at Marie’s. Come meet your new GFF.
Mediterranean BBQ
Pablo and his crew have been serving sensational grilled chicken, sausage and other delectable items for more than ten years. Could we have a festival without them?
Melt City Grilled Cheese
Cheese and bread and a hot grill! All weekend long! To cheese or not to cheese is never the question at Melt City.
Mexi Pops
Frozen fruit isn’t just a healthy way to cool off – it’s the most delicious way. Sample from a tempting array of mango and pineapple treats topped with shredded coconut and other fruits, created fresh on Hornby Island.
The New Taste Wraps
Serving up delicious chicken, beef and falafel pitas with fresh, crispy veggies, New Taste Wraps are a perfect snack to go along with your favourite music.
Nineteen 02 Kombucha (Canada) Inc.
Blended on the Sunshine Coast, Nineteen-02 combine kombucha with fresh tea steeped in pure Gibson’s water to refresh your body and soul.
Pepper Pot
The Caribbean and the Pacific Northwest fuse at the Pepper Pot! Experience a unique blend of flavours as they merge together to create a sensation of tastes like no other.
The Rockin’ Wok
Enjoy fresh and healthy stir-fried rice and noodle bowls. Down the highway and all the way from Whistler, this wok’s a-rockin’.
Salt Spring Coffee
Longtime festival sponsor celebrating their 20th Anniversary, Salt Spring Coffee serves a dazzling array of delicious fair trade coffee beverages, plus new cold brew flavours, for the most discerning of caffeine connoisseurs.
Salt Spring Island Fruitsicles
Fruit-focussed frozen treats from Salt Spring Island. Yummy and healthy … a treat for kids and adults alike!
The Schnitzel Shack
In the mood for ‘stick-to-your-ribs’ comfort food like mama used to make? Enjoy schnitzel sandwiches, homemade sausage, mac and cheese, cold salads and more!
Taste of Thailand
Come sample a delicious plate of pad Thai, chicken curry or spring rolls. The perfect spicy accompaniment to a day at the festival.
Urban Wood Fired Pizza
Gourmet pizzas with the freshest ingredients, cooked in a custom-designed wood fired pizza oven.
Whales’ Tails Fry Bread
Can you say you’ve been to the festival without trying a whale’s tail? Crispy fried dough with a choice of toppings. Be part of the tradition!
Yak and Yeti Bistro Ltd.
Oh the momos! Come and discover the enticing flavours of Nepalese and Tibetan cuisine.
The festival offers up a multi-cultural mix of food offerings to match their global mix of music. If you haven’t already got tickets to the festival make sure you do so before the festival begins.
By: Richard Wolak