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Pilot Project: Adding a caregiver tent and other initiatives to the Folk On The Rocks festival to increase support and accessibility for caregivers, families, and artists with children.

Project Duration: June – July 2025

Continuing to Implement: Yes, in 2026 and beyond!

Resources Shared: Project Field Notes, Artist-Caregiver Needs Assessment, Sign for Caregiver Tent

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About Folk On The Rocks

Location: Northwest Territories
Artistic Discipline: Music
Operating Budget: $100,000 to $1,000,000

Folk On The Rocks is one of Canada’s top summertime music and cultural festivals, drawing performers from the NWT, Nunavut and all across Canada for the North’s biggest party under the midnight sun.

More than 35 hours of programming on six stages, including a children’s area and a beer garden, promises fun and enjoyment for all ages. Along with the music, crowds can savour international and traditional cuisine at the food fair, check out non-profit groups and activities, and buy Northern creative works in the artisan tent.

Folk On The Rocks’ Level UP! Project

FOTR’s pilot project focused on making their festival site more supportive and accessible for caregivers, families, and artists with children. A central component of this was creating a Caregiver Tent at the annual Folk On The Rocks Music Festival in 2025. The tent offered a quiet, shaded space where caregivers could rest, feed, change, and care for children. The festival already had an established children’s area with a family-friendly stage, but the Caregiver Tent was a welcome addition because it provided a space much closer to the Main Stage.

FOTR also developed a Caregiver Needs Assessment to include in future artist advancing processes. The assessment was designed to share information about family-friendly amenities already available at the festival and to help FOTR better support artist-caregivers.

Project Highlights:

• • Responded to feedback that caregivers needed a quiet, shaded place to rest, feed, and change children closer to the festival’s Main Stage.
  • Consulted with Board members, former Board members, artists, volunteers, and caregivers to identify what would be most useful in the space.
  • Provided care items at the Caregiver Tent, including changing supplies, breastfeeding support items, toddler snacks, sunscreen, and family-friendly bug spray.