Ottawa's Grassroots Festival goes back to basics with solid lineup and new location in year of renewal

Ottawa Grassroots Festival to go back to basics in 2024 with Lynn Miles, Connie Kaldor and a new venue at Unitarian church.

Published Mar 11, 2024 • 3 minute read

Juno Award-winning singer and songwriter Lynn Miles will headline Ottawa’s Grassroots Festival in April. Photo by Caroline Phillips /ott

Award-winning singer-songwriters Lynn Miles and Connie Kaldor anchor next month’s back-to-basics edition of the Ottawa Grassroots Festival, taking place for the first time at the First Unitarian Congregation.

The 12th instalment of the indoor folk festival founded by the late Bob Nesbitt, an avid folk-festival volunteer, is set for April 25-28, with an opening night at Irene’s Pub followed by two days of concerts and activities at the Unitarian church.

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The festival kicks off with a rare appearance by Miles accompanied by her six-piece bluegrass backing band, the Tumbleweeds, at Irene’s, the Bank Street pub, on April 25.

On April 26, the festivities migrate west to the Unitarian church at 30 Cleary Ave. for an evening concert by Nova Scotia’s Charlie A’Court, the soulful singer-songwriter-guitarist who recently took home the East Coast Music Award for blues album of the year for his latest recording with fellow bluespeople Suzie Vinnick and Lloyd Spiegel. Ottawa’s Rory Taillon opens the show.

The Saturday-night slot goes to Canadian songwriting veteran Connie Kaldor, the Juno-winning independent artist from Saskatchewan who’s celebrating 45 years in folk music. Warmup duties fall to one of Ottawa’s rising stars, Jessica Pearson, and her band, the East Wind.

Free daytime, family-friendly activities on multiple stages at the church will also be announced soon. Beverages and food will also be available during the festival.

Grassroots producer Alison Bowie said it’s been tough for small, volunteer-driven festivals like Grassroots to rebound after the pandemic, largely because government funding at all levels has dropped significantly and sponsorships are getting harder to come by amid challenging economic conditions.

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As part of an effort to renew the festival, organizers applied for, and received, a one-time grant from the federal government’s Community Services Recovery Fund. It’s designed to help non-profit community-service groups “adapt and modernize their organizations.”

Grassroots is using the money to hire Ottawa’s Knock on Wood PR, the communications and event-planning company founded by Karen Wood, to revamp their business and marketing practices, provide training and support, find new sources of funding and reach new audiences in an increasingly competitive festival sector.

“It’s been a difficult time,” said Bowie. “We rely on grants but we have to rethink that, which is part of the strategy with Knock on Wood. They’re helping us figure a way through it. We need to come up with other fundraising options.”

A 50-50 raffle and an online auction are in the works to help with funding, but at the end of the day, the trick is to find a balance between being affordable and supporting the artists.

“The whole point of this event is to treat artists fairly and make it affordable for the community,” she said. “We want everybody to be able to come regardless of their financial situation.”

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Single tickets are available for the evening concerts, each one priced at $39.67 including fees. Two-day passes for April 26-27 are also on sale for $69.49. Go eventbrite.ca or ottawagrassrootsfestival.com to make your purchase.

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