• Be open minded! share openly, and receive openly

• Be present: use your mobile device only when necessary and away from the activities  (do not give them to your children to use or play with). 

• Be responsible: don't abuse any substances; smoke only in designated area

• Be village minded:  arrive to all communal chores, tasks and clan gatherings punctually & ready to contribute; look out for your fellow clan members & support them in the group

• Be conscious of other people's need for space: respect sleeping space by keeping it a quiet calm place

• Be waste free: bring only reusable (non-disposable) , natural (nontoxic) items to camp

• Most of our time will be spent outdoors, so please remember to bring appropriate clothing. It gets very COLD at night and VERY hot in the day and sometimes it rains.

• Schedule and announcements are posted by the main kitchen / dining entrance

• Programs and a map of the camp will be available upon arrival

• We are not responsible for lost or stolen belongings (sorry!)

Covid-19 protocols will depend on what is occurring at the time of Camp. We will be following all Federal and Provincial Public Health guidelines and directives concerning public events and travel restrictions. In the event that the Folk Camp is cancelled due to governmental directives, full refunds will be administered to registrants.

In the unfortunate event that you have to cancel our cancellation/refund policy is as follows:

If you must cancel your reservation, a $50 processing fee will be withheld from your refund, provided your written cancellation notice is received by our registrar prior to August 5th. If you cancel after August 5th, and more than 10 days before the start of camp, we will refund 50% of the amount you have paid. 

NO REFUNDS will be given for cancellations made 15 or fewer days before the start of camp. 

We expect participants to attend Folk Camp for the full week. If you need to arrive a bit late or leave a bit early, please let us know what your specific situation is.

Folk Camp has workshops specifically geared towards children and youth, and there are many activities you can do with your child at camp. Please note that parents are responsible for their children at all times.

There are many activities in which you and your child can participate:

• Outdoor swimming pool
• Sports and games
• Dances
• Crafts - depending on your child's age/ability
• Reading - Folk Camp will have a library which includes children's books
• Nature walks

Unfortunately we are not able to provide travel stipends to our scholarship recipients.

Driving directions and a map are available on our website here.

Let us know what your arrival time is and your train number. There is a $10 fee for pick up or drop off.

Cabins: dorm-style. Rooms have 7-10 beds, some of which are bunk beds. Some rooms will be designated co-ed, and others divided by gender. Each cabin has a separate washroom facility closeby with showers and toilets, and mirrors.

Tents: bring your own. You will have space on grassy flat land to pitch your tent. Trailers are also welcome, but must be approved by the registrar.

Bedding is not provided. We recommend that you bring a sleeping bag as it can get very cold at night, and a pillow.

You may make roommate requests. These requests should be included in your registration form. We will do our best to accommodate you.

Food is lovingly prepared by kitchen staff and volunteers, and perhaps you too! Most of our ingredients are sourced from the gardens on the campground, neighbouring farms, and local organic suppliers. We aim to source certified organic and/or natural family-farm raised meat and dairy. All effort will be made to serve chemical and additive-free food, as close to the source as possible. Most of the menu will be plant-based. If you have grown/made food you would like to contribute (from your garden), by all means, feel free to bring it!

There will be a variety of gluten-free grains, but if you have any serious allergies please make sure you have alerted us to this on your application.There is a communal fridge and pantry, where you can store any food..

We aim to provide you with enough food so that you don't need to, and we ask that you don't store food in your sleeping area.... However, if you have a special diet (gluten free, celiac, etc.) you can discuss storage of your special food with us.

We strongly advise you not to keep food in your cabins as it attracts animals (raccoons, mice, ants, skunks, etc.) If you bring food, please keep it in the public fridge (labelled) or in your car.

Be prepared for everything. The days are generally quite warm and beautiful but Plast camp is situated between Lake Ontario and a swampy forest, so the temperature can be much cooler and damper than in the city. Mornings can be chilly, evenings cool and nights cold! Sometimes it rains. Sometimes it rains a lot. Then again, the weather is often gorgeous and the days warm enough to go swimming in the lake.

• Anyone with the intention of dancing (which should be all of you!) but especially those planning to attend the dance classes should bring comfortable shoes for dancing.

• For anyone attending singing/music workshops, we strongly recommend that students bring recording devices (cell phone/tape/minidisk/digital) in order to record lessons for later review.

• If you have a musical instrument, please bring it!

• Camera (optional)

• Flashlight - it gets quite dark at night.

• Bring your own sleeping bag / warm clothing!

• Bring your own towels and toiletries

• Flip-flops for the showers

There are no laundry facilities. Please make sure that you bring enough clothing for the full week or a biodegradable laundry detergent to handwash your clothing.

We recommend that you bring warm clothing with you. It can get cold at night!

Rain-gear (rain-jacket, umbrella, rainboots)

Despite the evening temperatures, the days can be very warm. You will probably want casual summer clothing for daily wear. Bring clothes that you can be comfortable in – think summer camp. Don’t forget sunglasses, sunscreen, bathing suit, and sandals.

Some traditional cultural clothing and costumes to dress up for our evening celebrations and get into the spirit of things; something meaningful to dress up in for our final feast night.

• Earplugs (for sensitive ears during classes or concerts, for sharing cabins with roommates who might snore….etc)

Yes! It is, of course, up to you how much money you bring with you to Folk Camp but there will be a market “bazaar” during the camp camp where you can purchase the crafts, books, and CDs of our faculty, and after your marvelous experience you will undoubtedly wish to do buy something! Participants are also welcome to sell or barter anything they’ve created/brought, such as handicrafts, foodstuffs (preserves, honey, maple syrup, tea), clothing, artwork, etc. Bring something to trade!
The store accepts cash and credit. (Cash is preferable)

Before breakfast, there will be yoga and time to wake up, take in the surroundings, and participate in communal tasks. There are normally two formal workshop periods per day, one before lunch and one after lunch.
Talks, guided walks, and discussions may run during in-between times or concurrently with the technique classes and open studio times in the afternoon. There is usually a dance after dinner followed by bonfire/storytelling time.

You may attend as many or as few classes as they choose. Some classes require you to commit to a minimum number of sessions in the week (usually 5).

There are a few hours in the day for downtime… but many people find it hard to resist working on projects or socializing with so many opportunities to connect. We encourage you to take advantage of your free time and make some personal time for rest or a forest bath. It is up to you!

Every camper is assigned a clan: a group that is your family at camp- the people you’ll check in with periodically and do communal chores with. Each clan helps with kitchen chores for one day of the week (setting tables, doing dishes, serving food, etc.) as well as other fun stuff like sharing stories collected from the day’s experience.

The camp has a swimming pool. The pool and the lakefront are open at select times during the day. Please note that swimming is permissible ONLY during official pool hours and when the lifeguard is on duty. Children must be accompanied by their parent/guardian at the swimming pool. This policy is strictly enforced.

There is a designated smoking section, but a strict non-smoking policy within the camp grounds.

There will be no available internet for you to use.