Edmonton Folk Fest goers excited over LRT accessibility to event

It’s been a long time coming. Taking the LRT to get to the Edmonton Folk Music Festival, and according to those who took it Thursday, they are happy to finally have a stress-free way of getting to the festival and bypassing parking.

“I’ve always been a volunteer and we’ve had a parking area that’s slightly different and I find this more convenient than using that,” said one Folk Fest goer.

Another saying, “This is actually my first time on it, even though I know it opened a few months ago. Yeah, it was a good chance to use it first the first time!”

It was a little early, but fans of the festival already embracing the LRT this year to get to Folk Fest. Many of them say it’s more convenient than park and ride or parking near the grounds and think it’s a great addition for Edmontonians.

“Much better than jumping the light on the other side and coming over and hitting a bus or driving and never finding parking.”

The producer of Edmonton’s Folk Music Festival said it was 14 to 15 years in the making, and he’s excited to see the response from people after the weekend. One of the ways of getting to the Folk Fest in previous years was park n’ ride, but the city has elected to not use the program this year forcing festival goers to use the new LRT line.

“There’s been a little bit of noise here and there. You know people get used to doing it in certain ways. One of the problems with the LRT is sometimes you have to change trains downtown. So that’s a complication,” said Terry Wickham, the producer of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

This year’s lineup features some big names like Robert Plant and Alison Krauss who are headliners on Sunday. Organizers also remind people to arrive early to find a spot and be prepared for the weather which is supposed to be beautiful.