One of Toronto’s most beloved folksingers is returning to the stage for two performances only, after an absence of more than a decade: Bob Snider is playing the 2025 Mariposa Folk Festival. A Torontonian by birth and a Nova Scotian by choice, Bob is driving from the house he built—literally—in Bear River, NS, to Orillia for the occasion.
In his late-’80s and most-of-the-’90s heyday, Bob’s exceptionally engaging live shows and brilliant songwriting—which range from utterly hilarious to dead serious, and all points in between—earned him a music publishing deal with peermusic, and a recording contract with EMI Music Canada. After those deals eventually lapsed, he wrote two books, each as charming and entertaining as the man himself, about the skills he knows best: On Songwriting and On Performing.
So, what inspired the happily retired singer-songwriter—whose most memorable songs include “What an Idiot He Is,” “Darn Folksinger,” “Anna Marie” and “Dark Corners”—to tread the boards again?
“Wayne Hodgson, in a word,” says Bob, on the phone from his home, referring to a longtime Mariposa volunteer who’s also a friend and one of his biggest fans. “He really wanted me there, and he talked my way into the festival. And they even offered to accommodate my family,” he says, glad to be bringing his adult daughter and seven-year-old grandson along for a vacation.
Of course, he’s been rehearsing after the long layoff. “I haven’t picked up a guitar since about 2012, when I had a [one-off] gig in Halifax,” he says. “But since I got hired, I’ve been trying to play every day. I’m working up a 45-minute set of the songs that people want.”
Although this is Bob’s fifth time at Mariposa—he played it in 1990, 1993, 1994 and 2003—it’s his first time back in 22 years. “Mariposa was the first festival to ever hire me,” he says, looking forward to his return.
This year, Bob will share the stage at a Saturday-afternoon workshop, On the Road Again, that includes his friend and colleague Ron Sexsmith—who sang backing vocals on Bob’s full-band recording of “A Love to Call My Own” and has covered his songs live. Both artists are also playing the Gordon Lightfoot mainstage on Sunday night, so the promise of some sweet interaction for fans of each artist—or both—hovers in the near distance.
If you see Bob perform, you’ll definitely laugh; you could think about some serious things; and you might even shed a few tears. Don’t miss this rare appearance by a great songwriter and masterful stage entertainer.
