Kumbaya Festival
# Kumbaya Festival

The Kumbaya Festival was an annual Canadian music and arts festival in the 1990s. It was organized by Molly Johnson as a benefit for Canadian charities and groups doing work around HIV and AIDS.

The festival was broadcast live on MuchMusic each year, with the broadcast including a toll-free number which home viewers could call to make additional donations. Compilation CDs of performances from the festival were also subsequently released to raise additional funds. The festival raised over $1 million during its years of activity.

Each annual festival consisted primarily of musical performers, although each also featured numerous writers reading literary pieces, as well as actors, media personalities, HIV/AIDS activists and other Canadian public figures speaking on the importance of the HIV/AIDS issue.

Although the Kumbaya Foundation, the organization which staged the festival, is still active in Canadian and international HIV/AIDS fundraising as of 2014, the festival itself has not been staged since 1996. Johnson has, however, expressed an interest in reviving the festival.

## Performers and speakers

The lists of participants can be found at the Kumbaya Foundation website.

### 1993

* Lee Aaron
* Lillian Allen
* Randy Bachman
* Ralph Benmergui
* Blue Rodeo
* Meryn Cadell
* June Callwood
* Andrew Cash
* Tom Cochrane
* John Cody
* Holly Cole Trio
* Cowboy Junkies
* Crash Vegas
* Devon and the Metro Squad
* Eric Dow
* Shirley Eikhard
* Rik Emmett
* Phillip Ethier
* 54-40
* Joel Feeney
* Marlene Freise
* Peter Gzowski
* Infidels
* Rebecca Jenkins
* Clifton Joseph
* King Cobb Steelie
* Kristy Knight
* Leslie Spit Treeo
* Alex Lifeson
* Lost Dakotas
* Lisa Lougheed
* The Lowest of the Low
* Maureen McCall
* Murray McLauchlan
* Mae Moore
* Moxy Früvous
* Mary Margaret O'Hara
* David Ramsden
* Lorraine Segato
* David Sereda
* Sandra Shamas
* Chris Sheppard and BKS
* Shingoose
* Jane Siberry
* Skydiggers
* Dale Smith
* Tarzan Dan
* Tim Thorney
* The Tragically Hip
* Skot Turner
* Cassandra Vasik
* Joey Vendetta
* The Waltons
* Youth Outreach Mass Choir

### 1994

* Lee Aaron
* Accidentally Cool
* Lillian Allen
* Jann Arden
* Chantel Aston
* BKS
* Randy Bachman
* Barenaked Ladies
* Micah Barnes
* Jaymz Bee
* Ralph Benmergui
* Barney Bentall
* Moe Berg
* Big Sugar
* Blue Rodeo
* Sara Botsford
* Meryn Cadell
* June Callwood
* Stuart Cameron
* Change of Heart
* Tom Cochrane
* John Cody
* Holly Cole
* Simone Denny
* Devon and the Metro Squad
* Dream Warriors
* Pye Dubois
* Erica Ehm
* Rik Emmett
* 54-40
* Joel Feeney
* Fifth Column
* Andy Frost
* Lawrence Gowan
* Danny Greenspoon
* Peter Gzowski
* hHead
* Tomson Highway
* Rebecca Jenkins
* C. David Johnson
* Kit Johnson
* Taborah Johnson
* Jughead
* Leslie Spit Treeo
* Alex Lifeson
* Lost Dakotas
* Ashley MacIsaac
* Peter Mansbridge
* Shannon Maracle
* Cindy Matthews
* Michelle McAdorey
* Kevin McDonald
* Murray McLauchlan
* Kim Mitchell,
* Moist
* Moxy Früvous
* Billy Newton-Davis
* Mary Margaret O'Hara
* Prairie Oyster
* Punjabi by Nature
* David Ramsden
* The Rankin Family,
* Jimmy Rankin
* Lisa Rendall
* Kathryn Rose
* Lorraine Segato
* Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
* Sandra Shamas
* Jay Sharp
* Jane Siberry
* Kurt Swinghammer
* Chris Tait
* Randy Taylor
* Tim Thorney
* Cassandra Vasik
* Don Waboose
* The Waltons
* The Watchmen
* Vivienne Williams
* Shelley Wright
* Lori Yates

### 1995

* Armed and Hammered
* Margaret Atwood
* Barenaked Ladies
* Micah Barnes
* Jaymz Bee
* Ralph Benmergui
* Salome Bey
* Bitch Diva
* Blue Rodeo
* The Boomers
* Bootsauce
* Meryn Cadell
* June Callwood
* Change of Heart
* Holly Cole
* Les Colocs
* Crash Vegas
* France D'Amour
* Jennifer Dean
* Dream Warriors
* Shirley Eikhard
* The Fabulous Freaks
* Joel Feeney
* Furnaceface
* Doug Gilmour
* Peter Gzowski
* Jeff Healey
* Orin Isaacs
* Jingle Dancers
* Gordie Johnson
* Clifton Joseph
* Junkhouse
* The Killjoys
* Andy Kim
* George Koller
* Daniel Lanois
* Leslie Spit Treeo
* Alex Lifeson
* Lost Dakotas
* Ashley MacIsaac
* Cindy Matthews
* Maximum Fine
* Sarah McLachlan
* Melleny Melody
* Michie Mee
* Derek Miller
* Moxy Früvous
* Billy Newton-Davis
* No Mans Land
* Odds
* Robert Priest
* Carole Pope
* The Pursuit of Happiness
* The Rainbow Choir
* David Ramsden
* Ellen Reid
* Kathryn Rose
* Lorraine Segato
* Skaface
* Skydiggers
* Slowburn
* Bob Snider
* Spirit of the West
* Ian Thomas
* The Toronto Tabla Ensemble
* Cassandra Vasik
* Wild Strawberries
* Vivienne Williams
* Lori Yates

### 1996

* Angel
* Jann Arden
* Erin Benjamin
* Barney Bentall
* Barstool Prophets
* Bass Is Base
* Beautiful Joe
* Blackie and the Rodeo Kings
* Captain Tractor
* Tom Cochrane
* Bruce Cockburn
* Jim Cuddy
* Devon Martin
* Annette Ducharme
* Duotang
* Earthtones
* Joel Feeney
* Danielle French
* Lennie Gallant
* Jeff Healey
* Hunnytruck
* Marc Jordan
* Junkhouse
* Leslie Spit Treeo
* Kevin McDonald
* Murray McLauchlan
* Merlin
* Pamela Morgan
* The Paperboys
* Punchbuggy
* Jimmy Rankin
* Salmonblaster
* Sianspheric
* Amy Sky
* Kinnie Starr
* Kim Stockwood
* Sunfish
* The Super Friendz
* Tariq
* Leslie Taylor
* Tristan Psionic
* Umoja
* Universal Honey
* Keith Nakonechny & Jason Plumb of The Waltons
* Wild Strawberries
* Tom Wilson
