Mariposa Archives | Mariposa Folk Festival

LEGENDARY MARIPOSA FOLK FESTIVAL CELEBRATES 65TH EDITION WITH 4th CONSECUTIVE SELLOUT AND ONCE IN A LIFETIME PERFORMANCES

Posted on July 21, 2025July 21, 2025

Acclaimed Canadian Folk Festival pulls in huge crowds, draws younger fans and delivers special performances

“Playing the Mariposa Folk Festival is a badge of honour for folk artists around the world.” – Exclaim!

“Colin Linden referred to Mariposa as the gold standard of folk festivals, while his Blackie and the Rodeo Kings counterpart, Tom Wilson, referred to it as an oasis for music lovers.” – Orillia Matters

“a who’s who of Canadian songwriting royalty” – Streets of Toronto

ORILLIA, ON – JULY 21, 2025 – The Festival Chair announced today that the 65th Mariposa Folk Festival, which took place July 4–6, 2025, in Orillia, Ontario, reached a sellout for the fourth consecutive year. Youth and Young Adult ticket sales surpassed the previous record by more than 6%, demonstrating that the festival’s vibe and music continue to resonate with a younger demographic.

Hosted by Tom Power (CBC’s Q), and Raina Douris (NPR) the 65th edition of the legendary festival’s success filled the three day music fest with over 70 artists, 11 stages and a memorable performance from Serena Ryder who paid tribute to past Mariposa Folk Festival performers Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot and John Prine.

Said Festival Chair Pam Carter: “In an industry that is faced with rising costs and inflation, Mariposa patrons proved that it is the place to be for amazing live performances. We are grateful for their trust in us to present a festival which they are excited to attend.”

Remarked Spencer Shewen, Artistic Director: “Our musicians left it all out on the stage this year with magical performances and incredible collaborations. You could feel the reverence from everywhere while we celebrated both the past 65 years and what is still to come!”

Added Tom Power: “There’s a rare kind of magic in a festival that honours its history while creating something that’s deeply joyful, meaningful, welcoming and current. Mariposa really has that.”

ABOUT MARIPOSA FOLK FESTIVAL

The three-day Mariposa Folk Festival features 11 stages of top folk-roots and other genres, along with story, dance and craft. The Pub tent is the place to be for people of all ages to hang out with friends, see your favourite artist or discover someone new. All of this in the most beautiful setting right on the shores of Lake Couchiching. Tickets for the July 3-5, 2026 festival will go on sale in the Fall.

MEDIA CONTACTS AND SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES

Leslie Merklinger, Chris Hazel: media@mariposafolk.com

Orillia Artist Tony Bianco Creates ‘Quintessentially’ Mariposa Folk Festival Poster

Posted on April 19, 2024May 3, 2024

“The simple essence of sharing music together as friends and family”

Link to Video Interview with Tony Bianco and Leslie Merklinger

ORILLIA ONTARIO – April 18, 2024, 10:00 am

Artist, Tony Bianco, has teamed with the Mariposa Folk Festival to create an event poster for this year’s gathering (July 5 – 7, 2024) at Tudhope Park, Orillia.

“We’ve been looking forward to working with a local artist on this exceptional, artistic collaboration,” said Mariposa Festival President, Pam Carter. “And what Tony has imagined is nothing less than quintessentially Mariposa.”

The campaign theme of the 2024 festival, Playing in Harmony, helped spark Bianco’s creativity.

“Inspiration always starts with an idea. For me that’s got to be something that has meaning and value,” said Bianco. “I’m not interested in pretty pictures. A good idea conveys a truth, and it should do so clearly. What inspired me for this piece was the idea that music draws us together; families, old and new friends, a community, all gathered around this magic of hearing and making music.”

Mariposa Folk Festival Manager, Chris Hazel, believes sales will be brisk and points out the limited quantity available: “We chose to have only 300 prints created. Tony collaborated with the craftspeople at Rose Printing to adjust the colour and oversee the lithography for optimal reproduction.”

The prints will retail for $25 plus HST and sales will officially launch at the Mariposa Showcase Auditions, April 27^th at St. Paul’s in Orillia. They will also be available for purchase at the Mariposa offices on Peter St. in Orillia.

Bianco, who’s studio is nestled in the woods of Severn Township, is a strong believer in the mission and tradition of the festival.

“I’m an artist, and so I believe in truth and beauty, whatever it’s form,” said Bianco. “Mariposa is a real-world opportunity for us to be connected socially around beautiful truths expressed in musical form. In an increasingly polarized and fragmented world, we need that more than ever.”

The broad age range and welcoming vibe of Mariposa followers, fans, and patrons guided the artist’s creative process.

“I start a project like this with a lot of looking and thinking. Sometimes I sketch from life, or from imagination, until a simple but meaningful idea shows up,” said Bianco. “Then I chase it down, trying to refine and edit it. In this case I was able to access many years of Mariposa archives. Using that imagery, I tried to find a theme that spoke about the simple essence of sharing music together as friends and family. I also wanted it to look like home, and appeal to multiple generations, because that’s who Mariposa attracts.”

The Mariposa Folk Festival was founded in Orillia, Ontario in 1961. Through the years, it has grown to become Canada’s most legendary musical gathering. The 2024 lineup will include: Old Crow Medicine Show, Bahamas, Band Of Horses, Noah Cyrus, William Prince, Bruce Cockburn, Amigo The Devil, Donovan Woods, Dwayne Gretzky, Jesse Cook, Joseph, Maestro Fresh Wes, Modern Biology, The Secret Sisters, and many more.

The three-day gathering features 11 stages of top folk-roots music, along with presentations of story, dance, and craft. Children 12 & under are admitted free. The festival has special pricing for youth and young adults. Onsite camping is sold out. Tickets for Mariposa are on sale via the festival website.

Virtuoso Michele Gazich to Perform at Mariposa

Posted on May 22, 2015

micheleGazich Musician, composer, songwriter and music producer, Michele Gazich, is known for his trademark style on the violin.

He has played in orchestras, chamber music groups, and with singer songwriters, and has performed his own songs in Europe and throughout the world.

Appearing on more than fifty albums, he has performed with masters of folk, blues and alternative country from Eric Andersen, Mary Gauthier, Tom Russell, and John Hammond, to Michelle Shocked.

Gazich has also composed the music scores for several films and live theatre productions, and has released several albums including Folk Rock (2012) with Massimo Priviero, and his Verso Damasco (2012).