Back Forty Folk Festival - Morden

About us

The Back Forty is a volunteer run, non-profit charitable organization that aims to “Keep Homemade Music Alive” in southern Manitoba.

Our Festival features an excellent blend of local and Manitoba musicians who share their talents through various workshops and on the Main stage.

The Back Forty Festival has a vision to elevate homemade music in Southern Manitoba. To provide world-class developing and performing opportunities to local musicians and to attract the nation’s finest artists into Southern Manitoba to perform in our backyard!

Back 40 Folk Festival 2022

Here is the schedule for the 2022 edition of the Back 40 Folk Festival. We look forward to seeing you on Sunday at the Morden Park Bowl!

12:00- 12:10- Festival Welcome- Dean Jenkinson

12:10- 12:50- Brian Jacobs

12:50- 1:00- Tweener-  Mason Weselowski

1:00- 1:40- Paige Drobot

1:40- 1:50- Tweener- Marcel Desilets

1:50- 2:35- Shotgun Jimmie

2:35- 2:45- Tweener-  Dean Jenkinson

2:45- 3:30- Songwriter's Circle-

3:30- 3:40- Tweener- Dean Jenkinson

3:40- 4:25- Bill Dowling and the Even Breaks

4:25- 4:35- Tweeners- Mason Weselowski

4:35- 5:20- J.P. LePage

5:20- 5:30- Tweener-  Dean Jenkinson

5:30- 6:30- Leaf Rapids

6:30- 6:45- Tweener-Marcel Desilets

6:45- 8:00- Dirty Catfish Brass Band

The Back 40 Folk Festival is back! After having to cancel the event during the pandemic, we’re excited to announce a great lineup featuring fan favorites and local talent who are thrilled to be back making music for live audiences.

Headlining the show will be The Dirty Catfish Brass Band, a huge hit at the 2018 festival, and are back to get everyone up and dancing.  Beloved Manitoba favorites Leaf Rapids featuring Winnipeg’s Keri Latimer, will be there, returning favorite Shotgun Jimmie, and comedian/musician Dean Jenkinson will be hosting this year’s show.

The Back Forty spends a lot of time and energy through the year encouraging and supporting local artists, and we’re pleased to be featuring many of these fine performers, including Morden’s Brian Jacobs, Paige Drobot and J.P. Lepage, as well as Bill Dowling and the Even Breaks.

The festival will feature a children’s tent and an artisans’ village.

Tickets are now on sale! Advance tickets will be $20, available at back40folkfestival.com and Coop gas bars. Tickets at the gate are $25 (cash only). Kids 12 and under are free.

Spring 2022

Little Darling, it’s been a long cold lonely winter! The Back 40 is pleased to announce that three events are in the planning stages! First up, there will be a Coffeehouse at the Winkler Arts + Culture Centre on the evening of Friday, March 18th! The evening will be a celebration of the music of the 90s. Next, the Seventies Show will make it’s return to the stage of the P.W. Enns Centennial Concert Hall on Saturday, April 23rd. Finally, The Back 40 Folk Festival is scheduled for Sunday, June 5th at the Morden Park Bowl. Come out and enjoy live music in Southern Manitoba!

Fall 2021

The Back Forty board has been keen to get back to a schedule of coffeehouse/open mics this fall. However, continuing concerns with public health due to COVID have led us to believe that doing so would be taking unnecessary risks with our patrons’ and performers’ health and well-being. For this reason, we have chosen to suspend planning any activities for the fall. We hope you’ll keep checking in and watching for Back Forty events once we feel it’s safe to proceed. Until then, please be safe, be kind, and, hey, maybe pick up that guitar and dust off a tune or two for when we do return in the months ahead.

The Back Forty AGM will be held November 22. The public is welcome to join at 7:00 p.m. at Mulligan’s Restaurant in Winkler.