RED ROCK — Thousands of music lovers are set to descend on Red Rock next weekend for the 2025 Live from the Rock Folk Festival.
The popular three-day festival runs from Aug. 8 to 10, with this year’s lineup featuring headliners like The Vaudevillian, Small Town Bad and King Cardiac.
Artistic director Elly Tose said it’s a busy time, with some artists set to arrive Thursday evening.
“I think we’re on track for everything being ready to go as usual,” Tose told Newswatch in an interview.
“Next week, there’s a whole group of people who will be down there setting up the site and the township, of course, is a big contributor to all of that.”
Live from the Rock has been running annually since 2003, with two virtual festivals in 2020 and 2021.
Aside from the performances on the main festival stage, the festival will also feature 24 workshops, not only on the main stage on Saturday afternoon, but also on a pair of side stages and one at the Red Rock Fish and Game Club throughout the weekend.
Tose said they are a part of what makes the festival special.
“What I like and I think what most people like about the workshops is it’s an opportunity for musicians who maybe never met each other to connect and find something in common, to share their knowledge, to share their culture and magical gems come out of those workshops,” she said.
“It’s live, you’ll never see it again. It’s not recorded, so you never can hear it again. It’s just these once-in-a-lifetime things that take place right there in front of you and it’s really quite fascinating.”
Overall, Tose said the initial community spirit that’s driven Live from the Rock since its inception remains strong today.
“There’s an incredible sense of community that is created by this festival,” Tose said.
“People come to meet up with friends that they met 20 years ago — and they only see them once a year at this festival — but they feel like family and that’s the way the volunteers are set up.”
“There’s just a really good supportive network there,” she added.
Even with a full slate of summer festivals across the Northwest region, including several in Thunder Bay, Tose said Live from the Rock continues to draw well.
“We had a really good surge in the beginning — of course, we have different levels for our ticket pricing, so the early-bird tickets were quite a good deal,” she said, adding there was a bit of a lull after that early rush.
“Ticket sales have gone back up again — there’s been a little bit of last-minute rush happening.”
Tose said for the first time this year, festival organizers will also be asking attendees to complete a survey, which will help the festival with future grant applications and also to get “people’s take on the festival, so we can gauge how we’re doing.”
“Are there places that other people think we could promote the festival? Are there other ways we could promote the festival?” Tose said.
“So, it’s that kind of a survey — give us your feedback.”
Online ticket sales close on Aug. 3 at 11 p.m., she said, but can still be purchased at the gate, with adult and senior weekend passes being slightly more expensive at that time.
Those interested can find more information at the Live from the Rock website.