Your Canmore Folk Fest Transportation Guide For The 2023 Festival

There is nothing that brings us more joy than providing an amazing lineup of folk music for the thousands of people who attend our event each year. However, our audience members must first get to Centennial Park in downtown Canmore, which is becoming increasingly complex to navigate. Below we have put together some transportation advice for you, whether you are biking, taking the bus, or travelling by private vehicle. 

SECURE BIKE PARKING WITH CANMORE COMMUNITY CRUISERS  

Local non-profit Canmore Community Cruisers support all pedal-powered efforts in our community, including the folk festival this weekend. Thanks to volunteers with the Cruisers, those attending the event are able to access secure bike parking adjacent to the event grounds.  More and more, e-bikes are becoming a normal mode of transportation for those trying to navigate our busy transportation network. Sometimes those e-bikes can be worth thousands of dollars, and finding a secure place to park your bike is a challenge.  Last year, more than 200 bikes were securely parked each day during the festival. It has become so well used, this year the area is being expanded to accommodate more bikes.   

TAKE THE BUS ROAM TRANSIT HOURS EXPANDED SINCE LAST YEAR  

One thing we are proud of in Canmore is our free local transit. That’s right, you can take the Three Sister Canmore Local Route 5T or the Cougar Creek Canmore Local Route 5C for free. Both buses drop-off at the 9th Street transit hub, which is just two blocks from the main entrance to the festival.  In the past, it has been tough to catch the last main stage musical performance, and also catch the last bus. But thanks to an increased budget this year, the last Roam Canmore local buses depart from downtown at  11:44 p.m. (5C) and 11:47 p.m. (5T).  The last Canmore-Banff Route 3 bus of the day departs Canmore at 11:44 p.m. A one-way fare is $6.   

Go to www.roamtransit.com or download the DoubleMap app on your smartphone for more information on transit routes and fares.   

FREE PARKING! 

This year we have managed to get some free parking for patrons and volunteers just a 15min walk away from the site! The lot is located at 304 Bow Valley trail. After you park there will be volunteers present to tell you the best walking route to the festival.

PAID PARKING DOWNTOWN CANMORE  

In 2022, Canmore introduced paid parking in its downtown core as part of its transportation master plan and parking strategy.  

canmore.ca/municipal-services/pay-for-parking  

That means that those attending the folk festival and using their private vehicle will have to register for parking either through a kiosk or the Blinkay app that can be downloaded to your smartphone. In order to accommodate the festival, there are also road closures and restricted parking in the neighbourhoods surrounding Centennial Park. Please respect these restrictions as we work closely with our neighbours to ensure we do not negatively affect them throughout the weekend.   

 No matter how you choose to get to the folk festival, we are excited to host you for our 46th annual event.