FiddleFest is upping the ante for its seventh edition on Saturday, offering a free fiddle workshop and barn dance, along with an art workshop.
The event, hosted by the Victoria Fiddle Society, provides a bit of everything for attendees, from all-day workshops for fiddle, guitar and voice to step-dance classes.
Workshops will be held at Artemis Place Secondary (3020 Richmond Rd.) and Knox Presbyterian Church (2964 Richmond Rd.), and will be presented either free of charge or with nominal fees. The festival鈥檚 day-long art workshop 鈥� designed to occupy, among others, the siblings of those taking part in workshops 鈥� is a family-friendly $5.
Participants who want to join the introductory first-timer fiddle workshop at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday can do so stress-free.
鈥淭hey just have to show up,鈥� said Nellie Quinn, the Victoria Fiddle Society president.
鈥淟ong & McQuade has provided all the fiddles for them to use and we鈥檒l show them how to play.鈥�
The festival is blessed with an extraordinary lineup of instructors, including Quinn, Kevin Burke, Trish Horrocks, Adam Dobres, Ivonne Hernandez, Elspeth McLean, Dougal McLean and Oliver Swain. Burke, the legendary Irish fiddler now based in Portland, Oregon, will join his fellow instructors at the festival-closing concert at First Church of Christ, Scientist (1205 Pandora Ave.) on Saturday. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 at Long & McQuade and Ivy鈥檚 Bookshop.
The fiddle festivities continue with a one-off concert on Sunday featuring Burke and Quinn (with accompanist Charlie Gannon). They will perform at St. Paul鈥檚 United Church in Sidney (2410 Malaview Ave.). Tickets are $20 at Tanner鈥檚 Books or FiddleFest.
For more information on FiddleFest and its related events, go to .
