Traditionally held over the Labour Day long weekend, the 2023 Halifax Urban Folk Festival (HUFF) is moving to new dates and will take place from September 24 through October 1.
“There are a few reasons we’ve taken this tack,” says HUFF artistic director Mike Campbell in a media release. “One, there are exponentially more things to do in Halifax on the Labour Day weekend than there were 14 years ago, two, many of our artists and staunchest supporters now have families and conflicts with that long weekend, and three, The Halifax Pop Explosion is no longer in operation, so we felt a festival offering ending in early October, ahead of Thanksgiving, and when the weather was still nice for our out of town artists, was the sensible thing to do.”
Mary Gauthier, Bobby Bare Jr., and Tommy Stinson are among the headliners at this year’s eight-day festival.
“Mary Gauthier is a legend, Tommy Stinson was not only a founding member of The Replacements and lead guitarist in Guns & Roses for over a decade, his solo projects, especially Bash & Pop and his solo catalogue, are fantastic,” says Campbell. “You may not have heard of Bobby Bare Jr. yet, but unlike his father, country hall of famer Bobby Bare, he’s an indie rocker with killer solo albums, and plays lead guitar in Guided By Voices.”
The festival will also partner with the Prismatic Festival to co-present an afternoon show on National Truth and Reconciliation Day on September 30.
The complete line-up at the festival’s base, The Carleton in downtown Halifax, includes:
September 24 – Grace Petrie – two shows
September 25 – Tara MacLean
September 26 – Joe H. Henry
September 27 – Pretty Archie
September 28 – The Hello Darlins
September 29 – Bobby Bare Jr. & The Halifax All Stars with opening Songwriters’ Circle, featuring Tommy Stinson and Mary Gauthier
September 30 – Anyma and Leonard Sumner (afternoon show), National Truth and Reconciliation Day Concert co-presented by HUFF and the Prismatic Festival, plus Mary Gauthier  & The Halifax All Stars w/ opening Songwriters’ Circle, featuring Bobby Bare Jr. and Tommy Stinson
October 1 – Tommy Stinson & The Halifax All Stars with opening Songwriters’ Circle, featuring Bobby Bare Jr. + Mary Gauthier
In addition to performances at The Carleton, HUFF will also present shows at the Green Room Patio at the Marquee, along with Brightwood Brewery and the Sanctuary Arts Centre in Dartmouth, where HUFF hosts Séan McCann Sings The Great Big Songbook on September 28. Full details of these satellite shows will be announced in the coming weeks.
Tickets for all HUFF shows at The Carleton are now on sale. Visit halifaxurbanfolkfestival.com for tickets and information.