Where do I buy tickets?

Tickets are available for the opening concerts at Market Hall Performing Arts Centre and Gordon Best Theatre on August 17 and 18 respectively. Please see the 2023 Festival Overview page for details.

There are no tickets for August 19 and 20 at Nicholls Oval Park. The outdoor festival is free to attend, with donations encouraged and appreciated.

You can donate at the festival to the friendly volunteers in yellow T-shirts, or anytime (with instant tax receipts for donations of $25 and up) via our CanadaHelps page here. Thank you!

How Do I Get to the Festival?

Excellent Choice #1: Walk or Bike on the Rotary Trail!

Peterborough Folk Festival is right on the Rotary Trail. We want you to walk or ride your bike!

You can walk or ride north on the Rotary Trail from Hunter Street East next to Ashburnham Ale House, or from the London Street Footbridge across the Otonabee River. Or you can walk or ride south from Parkhill Road, just east of the Otonabee River bridge.

Thanks to our friends with B!KE Community Bike Shop, valet bicycling parking is available next to the Rotary Trail at the bottom of the hill. Their friendly volunteers will park your bike and give you a ticket to pick it up later.

The B!KE valet parking is open Saturday, August 19 from 11:00 am to 10:00 pm, and Sunday, August 20 from 11:00 am to 7:30 pm. No bikes left outside these hours please!

Excellent Choice #2: Take the Free Shuttle!

Peterborough Folk Festival is very happy to offer a free shuttle to and from downtown Peterborough for the first time!

The shuttle will run every half hour from 202 King Street in front of the King Street Parkade in downtown Peterborough during festival hours on both Saturday August 19 and Sunday August 20, except for a lunch break each day. See the detailed scheduled here.

Look for the PFF sandwich board at 202 King Street, where the shuttle will stop. Free parking is available all weekend at the King Street Parkade. Of course you could walk, bike or take transit to King Street downtown.

We are also thrilled to offer free shuttle service to our friends in Curve Lake, Hiawatha and Alderville First Nations.

Thank you to a grant from Community Foundation of Greater Peterborough for making this possible.

If you need to drive:

Road construction on Parkhill and Armour Roads will make driving to Nicholls Oval Park tricky for PFF 2023.

Armour Road is open only to local traffic from Parkhill Road to Hunter Street. If you need to drive to the main entrance at 725 Armour Road, please travel across Parkhill Road and turn south on Armour Road.

On-site festival parking at 725 Armour Road is limited. Overflow parking may be available on side streets but not on Armour Road due to the construction. Accessible parking spots will be available for people with special needs.

If you must drive, please carpool to reduce the number of vehicles on-site, allow ample time for parking, drive v-e-r-y carefully, be courteous to the friendly parking volunteers, and respect the signs so that emergency vehicles can get through if necessary.

Can I bring my dog?

Well-behaved dogs on leash are allowed at Nicholls Oval Park.

Please be respectful of people who may not be as comfortable around dogs.

Can I camp at the festival?

There is no on-site camping at Nicholls Oval Park.

There may be camping available nearby at Beavermead Campground, if they have campsites available. Their website is here: Beavermead Campground – Otonabee Region Conservation Authority

Is drinking water available?

Yes! But not in plastic bottles. The Peterborough Utilities Group Mobile Water Station will be on site near the Food Village. Please bring your reusable water bottle, which you can refill from the Mobile Water Station.

We will also have spiffy new PFF water bottles available for purchase at the Merchandise Booth.

Is an ATM available?

Yes, we have a handy ATM on site in case you need cash for the Food Village vendors, Artisan Village vendors, Cameron's Pavilion, Merchandise Booth and/or donations to the friendly Bucket Brigade volunteers in the yellow T-shirts.

Is the festival accessible for people with special needs?

If you’re driving to 725 Armour Road, please let our friendly parking volunteers know and they will guide you to accessible parking spaces.

Nicholls Oval Park has accessible washrooms. We will supplement those with nearby accessible washrooms and washing stations during the festival.

The hilltop area of the festival with its Food Village, Artisan Village, Children’s Village, Cameron’s Pavilion, Generation Solar Stage and Merchandise Booth is relatively flat. We’ll have an accessible viewing area on the hilltop for viewing Main Stage performances. The hillside that overlooks the Main Stage is not accessible due to its slope.

What food is available in the Food Village?

Tasty local options available in the Food Village include: Island Cream; Baked 4 U; Pizza Kollo; OtonaBEE Apiary; Milk + Tea; Bibi Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwiches); Mr.& Mrs. Pierogi; La Mesita; and Flossophy.

Who is in the Artisan Village?

Take the time to visit our Artisan Village with its 39 artisan vendors and 10 community booths!

Reusable dishes and cutlery?

Yes! The festival has purchased reusable dishes and cutlery, which our friendly EcoTeam volunteers wash and provide clean to vendors in the Food Village. This initiative dramatically reduces the waste produced at the festival.

After enjoying your meal in the Food Village, please return your dishes to the EcoStation (pictured above) where our volunteers will wash them and return them clean to food vendors. Thank you!

Nice! How else do you reduce environmental impacts?

PFF encourages festival-goers to walk, bike or take the free shuttle - or as a last choice, car-pool.

PFF partners with B!KE Community Bike Shop to offer free valet bike parking beside the Rotary Trail.

PFF partners with Generation Solar to provide clean electricity to power the Generation Solar Stage.

PFF arranges the PUG Mobile Water Station to provide free drinking water, and prohibits bottled water sales.

PFF volunteers return Nicholls Oval Park to its clean and beautiful state after the festival.

We even loan our EcoTeam dishwashing station to other festivals to help them reduce their impacts!

What if I have other questions?

Before the festival, feel free to submit a question via our Contact page.

If you have any questions or concerns at the festival, please speak with an Ambassador (identified by an orange T-shirt or vest) or stop by the Information Booth, centrally located near the Cameron's Pavilion, Merchandise Booth and ATM.