Cumberland Folk Festival 1949-1958 was an amazing community effort that focused on bringing about closer relationships and understanding among different cultural groups.

Colourful pageants, folk dances and exhibitions of arts and crafts brought crowds jammed in the Cumberland Recreation Hall to capacity. The entertainment was by local and professional groups and encouraged people to come back for the festivities year after year.

Programmes became more elaborate as the festival continued; a parade of nations was introduced and was always a highlight, as was the crowning of the Folk Festival Miss Canada. Each year a representative of the ethnic group that was the focus or theme of that year’s festival was crowned.

Attendance had been declining throughout the years and eventually the Folk Festival was no more. For ten years, the Cumberland Folk Festival was dedicated to promoting understanding and acceptance of habits and customs of the other nations.