Prince George Folkfest Society
Prince George Folkfest Society has been bringing musicians from all over the world since 2003. Since 2007, they’ve been presenting world class performers on several stages throughout Prince George during Coldsnap – our flagship winter music festival has been our focus.
The festival is generally held near the end of January/beginning of February, a time when northerners are starved for entertainment. Coldsnap is a week-long festival that typically presents artists in several settings including ticketed evening concerts at pubs, night clubs, event spaces, and soft seat theatres, and free daytime community outreach events at schools, recreation centres, and local businesses.
Beyond providing attendees an unforgettable musical experience, we are proud to be able to showcase a small sample of the fantastic arts and culture scene that Prince George has to offer. In recent years, the community outreach events have become a very important aspect of our festival, although the format for these is a bit different for Coldsnap 2021 and 2022. In typical years, attendees are able to experience artists in very intimate settings and learn some of the aspects of their art. For many of the artists that we bring, it is their first time in Prince George and without fail, they are amazed by the appreciation and hospitality that the Prince George audience shows them.
Constitution, Mandate, Mission and Vision
The Constitution of Prince George Folkfest Society (PGFFS) is to:
- Educate and cultivate in the public of all ages an appreciation for and enjoyment of folk and alternative music of Canada and of other countries and cultures.
- Educate and provide opportunities for children to become familiar with folk music, instruments, and musical techniques of different cultures.
- Promote the development and appreciation of musical artists within Northern British Columbia communities.
The Mandate of PGFFS is to:
- Present high quality music and arts events, accessible to as many audience participants as possible.
- Introduce non-mainstream music and other art forms to Festival audiences to increase awareness and appreciation for a wide range of folk music genres.
- Promote music and musicians in northern BC and expose festival audiences to our unique northern culture.
- Provide opportunities for performances by established international, national, local and emerging artists.
- Provide musicianship workshops, given by accomplished musicians, to support the next generation of performers.
- Contribute to Prince George's range of cultural activity and encourage a sense of community in all participants.
- Be recognized internationally as a prominent Northern Canadian Music festival.
PGFFS’ mission is to be sustainable, collaborative and relevant; to be a significant contributor to the quality of life in the City of Prince George and to the culture and arts community across the province and the country; and to be highly respected within the music industry in Canada. We believe understanding and reconciliation in a community is built through communication and there is no better communicator than the performing arts.
PGGFS’s artistic vision is to use music and musicians to bring the community together to celebrate Northern BC culture, and to promote understanding, acceptance and communication between all cultures.
PGFFS Board of Directors and Staff
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Leah Lampert
Society Chair
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Elissa Meiklem
Past Chair
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Aidyl Jago
Vice-Chair
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Glen Goudy
Treasurer
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Rob Watt
Secretary
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Karen Mohr
Member-at-Large
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John Ortynsky
Member-at-Large
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Dwight Wolfe
Member-at-Large
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Rev. Bob Fillier
Member-at-Large
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Meagan Howard-Gibbon
Member-at-Large
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Kym Gouchie
Cultural Liaison
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Sue Judge
Executive Director
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Katherine Benny
Communications Manager + Producer
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Connor Pritchard
Technical Director
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Genevieve Smith
Artistic Liaison
Prince George Folkfest Society Code of Conduct
Prince George Folkfest Society (PGFFS) is committed to maintaining safe, inclusive and respectful spaces for volunteers, artists, staff, contractors and patrons at all our events and throughout our operations. In this document, volunteers include the Board Members of PGFFS.
We are a signatory to the “Canadian Code of Conduct for the Performing Arts” and are committed to following its guiding principles. Staff and volunteers in particular are considered ambassadors of the organization and are required to professionally represent PGFFS at Coldsnap and all our live music events. Volunteers, artists, staff, contractors and patrons are expected to:
- Act courteously and professionally with other volunteers, staff, artists, and patrons as well as venue representatives and contractors, at all times before, during and after our events.
- Behave in a manner that positively represents the organization, supports our mandate, mission and vision, protects the reputation and property of PGFFS and its partners, and avoids actions that could result in criminal investigation or prosecution.
Volunteers, artists, staff, contractors and patrons are required to foster an atmosphere free from harassment, including sexual harassment, discrimination, bullying and violence. Harassment can take many forms including unwanted sexual attention, inappropriate jokes or texts, threats, and other unwelcome verbal, written, visual, or physical communication or conduct. Volunteers and staff are required, and artists and patrons are requested, to report any incidents or concerns to the Volunteer Manager, to a Board member or to a more senior staff member immediately.
Incidents include, but are not limited to:
- Any form of verbal, sexual, physical or emotional abuse.
- The use of derogatory or discriminatory language, gestures or actions.
- Any form of harassment, racism, sexism, homophobia or other targeted comments that are intended to cause personal offense or harm to any other person either at events or through PGFFS social media channels.
Incident reporting:
Volunteers are to report incidents or concerns to their manager or to either Volunteer Coordinator. If none of these persons are available, report the incident to any board or staff member.
Artists, staff and contractors should report any incidents to the Executive Director or any staff or Board member.
Patrons can report any incidents to any volunteer or, if the volunteer is the cause of the incident, to the Volunteer Manager or any Board or staff member.
If any volunteer, artist, staff, contractor or patron is behaving in a manner or causes an incident that is not respectful or is deemed to be unsafe, PGFFS reserves the right to remove that person immediately from any of the venues where we are presenting. That person has the right to contact us later for discussion and mutual resolution, through mediation if necessary.
If anyone reporting an incident is not satisfied with the response of the person they are reporting it to, they should seek out a Staff Member who will report to the board. The incident will be recorded and discussed by the Board Members at the earliest convenience depending on the seriousness of the incident, and the affected parties will be contacted to resolve the situation. Resolutions may include becoming ineligible for future volunteering, performance or contractor opportunities and potential removal from the organization. Criminal incidents will be reported to the authorities.
If there is a medical, fire or immediate, serious safety emergency, contact First Responders immediately. If practicable, send someone to locate a first aid attendant until First Responders arrive. As soon as practicable, report the incident to a Volunteer Coordinator, Board or staff member.
This Code of Conduct is reviewed annually and subject to change. If anyone has any questions, comments or suggestions, please contact PGFFS at info (at) coldsnapfestival.com.
Updated May 5 2026.