The Canterbury Folk Music Festival is an annual event, held for the wider Canterbury communities and designed as a family orientated music festival promoting family relaxation, music, education and the arts. Our aim is to provide a safe, friendly family environment and a wide range of music, concerts, educational workshops and artistic entertainment for the whole family. Open to the public, for Cantabrians to come along, relax, share, perform and enjoy a festival of acoustic music. The festival is traditionally run over the Easter period - with an emphasis on promoting Canterbury local and upcoming musicians, New Zealand musicians and International musicians who are chosen to add a unique cultural and educational experience for festival attendees. Musicians are invited to perform at concerts and run informative, educational and fun workshops for all festival goers to attend. All of the attending guest artists are encouraged to socialise throughout festival duration with attendees, play music and share their knowledge and expertise. There are also organised events which facilitate attendees of all ages who perform with and alongside the guest artists. This provides encouragement and confidence to upcoming younger musicians and music hobbyists alike. The music festival provides concerts performed by invited professional guest musicians, and also multiple opportunities for festival attendees to perform while using professional equipment, guided by a professional sound technician, and in front of an appreciative ‘listening’ audience. This provides encouragement and experience for the local Canterbury younger musicians and artists, and a lifetime experience for many small children, who are encouraged to perform. There is an organised supervised children's programme for the young ones, as well as plenty to do for the teens among the crowd. Children’s activities and Teen games / activities are supervised and always attended by many adults who join in the festivities alongside the children and teens, creating a unique, enjoyable, good-spirited sharing supportive environment. Attendees of all age groups share a common love of multi-genre music, and not all are musicians. Many come just to enjoy the friendship, fun, music, relaxation and friendly atmosphere this weekend brings. To view details of previous festivals, and the upcoming 2019 festival, please visit our web site at www.canterburyfolkfestival.org.nz The Christchurch Folk Music Festival Inc. is a Charitable Trust and is organised and run annually by an elected small group of local volunteers.