Last weekend, the Chemainus Cultural Arts Society featured a Summer of Love with a tribute to the music of the 1960s, a festival that was wildly successful.
On Saturday, the CVCAS is back with a lineup of folk music performed by an outstanding lineup of local artists. This will be the final music festival of what has been a great summer of music at the bandshell in Waterwheel Park, although one more Tuesday night concert on Sept. 1, featuring J Plank remains on the schedule.
The Ranters open Chemaiunus Folk Festival 2026 at 2 p.m. Gillian Wale and Rockland Morana, a folk/roots duo from Shawnigan Lake, perform as The Ranters.
They will be followed on stage by Nanaimo’s Jen Drummond at 3 p.m. and Dusty Roads Duo with their roots and country tunes at 4 p.m.
At 5 p.m., Chemainus audiences will meet Malakai, an incredible 17-year-old from Duncan who despite his youth is a seasoned performer. A solo performer, Malakai has been learning from other performers at Longevity John’s Duncan Showroom for the last decade and has already earned a reputation as a solid folk singer, playing guitar and piano.
Encouraged by the Cowichan Valley’s legendary music promoter Long John Falkner, the man behind the annual 39 Days of July festival, Malakai first climbed on the stage at the Showroom when he was seven years old.
Malakai has been a feature performer in both the Discovery Series at The Port Theatre in Nanaimo and The Cabaret Series at The Cowichan Performing Arts Center. In addition to performing at venues and festivals such as Filberg Festival, Nanaimo Blues Festival, and Islands Folk Festival, Malakai is a regular crowd favorite at the 39 Days of July music festival where he was a Musician in Residence. Malakai has opened for many acclaimed artists including Lynn Miles, Valdy and Daniel Champagne.
Headliner Ty Koch will wrap up the day with a performance starting at 7 p.m.
Koch, a singer and songwriter from Vancouver, says he has drawn his inspiration from a number of artists and styles.
“Two artists that have had especially impactful influences on my music are Gary Clark Jr. and Jeff Buckley. In Gary Clark Jr. his soulful, blues-infused guitar style is something that I have worked hard to emulate in my own study of the instrument,” Koch explains.
“From Jeff Buckley, his impressive ability to perform across a wide vocal range is something that I have been blessed to be able to match in my own music. With influences from both, and countless other performers, I have worked to develop my own blues-influenced rock style for my music, that accentuates my vocal range.”
Admission to the Folk Festival is by donation with a suggested donation of $20 for the day.