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With a stellar lineup that includes rock legend Van Morrison, alt-country queen Lucinda Williams, roots travellers Wilco and Arcade Fire’s Will Butler, the inaugural edition of CityFolk can’t help but stand out from this summer’s crop of Ottawa-area festivals.

Conjuring a lineup that attracts attention was a challenge that executive and artistic director Mark Monahan rose to meet in his mission to transform the former Ottawa Folk Festival. The revamped version of the late-summer music festival takes place Sept. 16-20 in a spiffy new location: the Great Lawn of the recently renovated Lansdowne Park.

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“I think that the festival scene is becoming very crowded and what I’m trying to do is to carve out a niche for this event that will get an Ottawa audience excited. That’s the first goal I had in mind,” Monahan said in an interview.

“When I look at the lineup, it can’t just be like every other festival. It’s about taking what’s out there and trying to figure out what is best given our location and audience. That’s where I start. We’re not going to bring in someone who’s been here in the last year. It can’t be the same thing.”