In a town like St. John’s, where there are plenty of music festivals and arts events (we’re blessed), why is Lawnya Vawnya worth paying attention to? Quite simply, because there isn’t another festival quite like it.

Lawyna Vawnya is a creative, diverse, and dynamic event with musicians, writers, speakers, and personalities coming from as far away as New York and as near as Cowan Heights. Now in its sixth year, this edition of the festival is the biggest one yet, but it’s just as wicked and weird as ever.

There are acts I’m excited to see, bands I haven’t heard of, and groups I don’t really give a shit about, but that’s what’s so great about Lawnya Vawnya. There’s some old favourites, but it’s ever changing and willing to take risks and be inventive. You might not love it all, but there’s no shortage of cool things happening. The festival will be anything but boring.

Just look through the list of artists attending this year – there’s lush synth pop, country crooners, pissed off punks, electronic bleeps and bloops, local faves and CFAs, often on the same night and within a few steps of each other. That’s not to mention the writers and speakers spinning yarns at panels or between musical performances.

Lawnya Vawnya’s jam packed five days also hold artist talks, music crawls through downtown and Quidi Vidi, a special evening event with musician and journalist Vish Khanna, and extra secret pop up shows, announced only through the festival’s social media feeds.

With such a wealth of musicians, writers, and creatives of all types, there’s plenty to choose from at this year’s event. There’s free improvised music, hip hop, delicate folk, thoughtful fiction, and much more. The worst part of the festival is making a choice.

There’s plenty to check out, so pay close attention to Lawyna Vawnya.