If you’re going to see English pop legend Morrissey
at CityFolk
, don’t stuff your pockets with pepperoni sticks, hamburger patties or any other meaty snack.
The former Smiths frontman, a vocal animal-rights advocate, wants to discourage fans from bringing meat products to venues where he plays on his current solo tour, which starts in Montreal on Sept. 10. The CityFolk date on Sept. 12 is the second stop.
CityFolk director Mark Monahan said the 66-year-old headliner has requested meat be taken off the food vendors’ menus on Sept. 12, and for the bag search at the entrance to check for meat products as well as the usual contraband items, such as alcohol and weapons.
Most of the food vendors do have a vegetarian option, he added.
It wouldn’t be the first time Morrissey has wanted to ban meat at concert venues. In 2009, after the smell of “burning flesh” at Coachella made him walk off stage, he came up with a meat-ban request on his 2010 tour rider. A similar ban in Houston in 2019 prompted other artists on the bill that day to cancel their shows at the same venue.
With or without meat, it’s a big year for CityFolk as 2025 marks a decade at Lansdowne Park, and the 31st anniversary of its roots as the Ottawa Folk Festival.
This year’s edition returns to the Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park, a grassy outdoor site behind TD Place stadium, and is stacked with British artists, including Morrissey, indie-pop band James and Celtic-punk legends The Pogues, along with British-inspired acts like Dropkick Murphys.
Here’s everything you need to know about the festival:
What’s new at CityFolk in 2025?
The Thirsty Dog is a new, British-style pub on the main lawn that was created to salute the British acts on the program and show off some vintage Ottawa bar fixtures, including the big wooden bar from Brandy’s, a hotspot in the ByWard Market in the 1980s. The new watering hole will serve draft beer and mixed drinks.
How much are tickets to CityFolk 2025?
Full-festival pass:
$211.14 all in
Single-day pass:
$60-75 plus fees
Pick-three pass:
Around $200
Is there seating at CityFolk?
Guaranteed seating is not available, but you can bring a collapsible lawn chair to use in the designated chair section or a blanket for sitting on the hill. Most people will be standing.
What’s the best way to get to CityFolk?
The festival is not providing supervised bicycle parking this year, but biking is still the best way to get to CityFolk. Lansdowne Park has 600 bicycle parking spaces and is easily accessible from the multi-use pathway along Queen Elizabeth Driveway.
If you drive, the underground parking garage at Lansdowne Park operates on a first-come, first-served basis. Street parking is available but watch the signage for restrictions.
Public transit is another option. It’s free to ride OC Transpo to and from the festival with a paid ticket, within three hours before and after the event.
What if it rains at CityFolk?
CityFolk is a rain or shine event that takes place outdoors. If inclement weather causes delays, organizers will post announcements on the festival’s social-media channels and the on-site screens. Note that you can bring a small, collapsible umbrella or a rain poncho.
Is CityFolk the same as Bluesfest?
No, although both events are run by the same team, which is headed by Ottawa native
Mark Monahan as executive and artistic director of both festivals
.
What’s the difference between Bluesfest and CityFolk?
Each event has its own picturesque site and returns at the same time of year, with CityFolk taking place in September near the Rideau Canal at Lansdowne Park and Bluesfest happening in July, the peak of summer, near the Ottawa River at LeBreton Flats Park.
Otherwise, the main difference between the two festivals is the scope. At Bluesfest, up to 300,000 fans flock to the dozens of shows featured on four stages during a period of nine or 10 days.
Meanwhile, CityFolk attracts about 50,000 in total, features two stages and takes place over five days.
As for the lineup,
Bluesfest has an anything-goes booking policy
, while there are usually efforts made to underscore the singer-songwriter influence of acts presented at CityFolk.
This year’s program casts a wide net, from the pop anthems of TikTok phenom Alex Warren to electro-rockers Down With Webster.
What happened to the Ottawa Folk Festival?
The Ottawa Folk Festival was faced with a significant budgetary shortfall when it was bailed out by Bluesfest director Mark Monahan and his team in 2010. The following year, they moved the event from its longtime home at Britannia Park to a new site at Hog’s Back Park, where it stayed for four years. The Great Lawn at Lansdowne Park became available in 2015, and the festival moved to the Glebe. With the shift to Centretown, organizers changed the event’s name to CityFolk.
Who’s playing at CityFolk 2025?
Wednesday, Sept. 10:
TD Stage
8:50 p.m. Alex Warren
7:20 p.m. Paul Russell
6 p.m. Tafari Anthony
Fasken Stage
7:45 p.m. Tyler Shaw
6:30 p.m. Mia Kelly
5:30 p.m. Hanorah
Thursday, Sept. 11
TD Stage
9 p.m. Melissa Etheridge
7:15 p.m. Indigo Girls
6 p.m. Junkhouse
Fasken Stage
7:45 p.m. Rum Ragged
6:30 p.m. Amble
5:30 p.m. Alex Nicol
Friday, Sept. 12
TD Stage
8:50 p.m. Morrissey
7:05 p.m. James
6 p.m. Mint Simon
Fasken Stage
7:45 p.m. The Devil Makes Three
6:30 p.m. Kaia Kater
5:30 p.m. School House
Saturday, Sept 13:
TD Stage
8:50 p.m. The Pogues
7:20 p.m. Dropkick Murphys
6 p.m. Catbite
Fasken Stage
7:45 p.m. Hurray For The Riff Raf
6:30 p.m. Celeigh Cardinal
5:30 p.m. Loviet
Sunday, Sept. 14:
TD Stage
9 p.m. Down With Webster
7:20 p.m. USS
6 p.m. Cam Kahin
Fasken Stage
7:45 p.m. Tobi
6:30 p.m. Blakdenim
5:30 p.m. J Morris
Want to stay in the know about what’s happening in Ottawa?
Sign up for the Ottawa Citizen’s arts and life newsletter — Ottawa, Out of Office — our weekly guide to eating, listening, reading, watching, playing, hanging, learning and living well in the capital.
