Members of Folk Canada voted unanimously at the 2025 annual general meeting to rename the Folk Music Ontario, Musique Folk de l’Ontario Conference as the Folk Canada Conference. The decision brings the event into full alignment with the current name of the organization.
“We want every member of our Canadian folk community to feel represented in the name we carry and the events we create. To embrace this inclusive vision, we’re excited the fortieth anniversary of our gathering launches the renamed Folk Canada Conference, and look forward to hosting the plurality of our community to celebrate this next chapter” said Folk Canada President Cécile Doo-Kingué.
The changes the organization has taken to transition from Folk Music Ontario into Folk Canada have been incremental. In 2025 Folk Music Ontario and Folk Music Canada finalized a merger process that had been many years in the making – a result of consultation with the membership at a 2019 town hall meeting. Once the new organization name was in place, Folk Canada conducted two surveys of members and conference attendees to gather feedback, which leaned favourably toward the change in conference name. The board was unanimously in favour of bringing the resolution forward, and the membership responded with full support.
The transition to the Folk Canada Conference brings no changes to the event itself. One of the largest music industry gatherings in Canada will continue to take place in Ontario for the foreseeable future. The next two editions were announced at the AGM and will take place in Hamilton, Ontario from October 14-18 in 2026 and October 13-17 in 2027.
“There are many reasons to continue hosting the conference in Ontario. We have amazing partners, members, and stakeholders in the province and it benefits our entire community to provide access to the Ontario music market.” Dennett said at the meeting. Folk Canada currently has six hundred and fifty members, with four hundred and fifty-nine residing in Ontario.
With this announcement also comes the opening of showcase applications for the Folk Canada Conference in Hamilton next October. Artists from across Canada are encouraged to apply. At the most recent conference, artists from every province and territory were selected to perform for the first time in the event’s history. “We were able to truly show what folk music in Canada sounds like from coast to coast to coast. It was an awesome achievement for our event” said Dennett.
For nearly forty years, Folk Canada has played a central role in strengthening Canada’s music ecosystem by supporting artists, industry, festivals, and presenters through year round programs, advocacy, and sector development. Folk Canada’s initiatives include the annual Folk Canada Conference, Developing Artist Program, Developing Presenters’ Program, Festivals’ Retreat, Ontario Folk Music Awards, Refolkus Podcast, international export events, and more.
Folk Canada Conference Dates
- 2026/10/14 – 2026/10/18 Hamilton, Ontario
- 2027/10/13 – 2027/10/17 Hamilton, Ontario
