British Columbia Destinations

Music and more featured on BC’s summer festival stages

By Sue Kernaghan

Photo by Chris Cameron

There is a galaxy of events and celebrations taking place in BC this summer. Leading the buzz is July’s inaugural Pemberton Festival, with headliners Coldplay, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Nine Inch Nails, the Tragically Hip, and several dozen other rockers playing in a mountain-fringed meadow just north of Whistler.

Sure to be a hot ticket, this new event, already fielding comparisons to the Glastonbury Festival, will host 50 bands on two stages; fans can camp on site or hop a festival shuttle to one of Whistler’s boutique hotels.

There are also dozens of smaller events filling BC’s summer nights. From Aboriginal festivals in the north to Okanagan harvest celebrations, these mini-fests – almost always in scenic settings – typically offer homemade food, kids’ entertainment, on-site camping, a mix of touring musicians and local acts.

A cross-section of unique offerings span the province including Salt Spring Island’s Gumboot Dancers performing at various island festivals through the summer and Nanaimo’s bathtub racers going for the gold at a one-of-a-kind world championship event on Vancouver Island.

First Nations music and dance is also central to the eclectic mix of world, country, blues and more at the delightfully named Edge of the World Music Festival at Tlell on Haida Gwaii (Queen Charlotte Islands). At the Islands Folk Fest near Duncan where 150 performers offer three days of non-stop music.

In August, music fans can move inland to the Kootenay Rockies, where a floating stage, mountain backdrop and small town vibe helped the Kaslo Jazz Etc. Summer Music Festival make the USA Today top ten events list.

Blues fans can wind up their summer in the North Okanagan, where the 16th Annual Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival welcomes the Neville Brothers to one of its seven outdoor stages in their only festival appearance on the BC Mainland. Also on the roster, 92-year-old David “Honeyboy” Edwards, one of the last original acoustic Delta blues players.

It’s not all about music, though, as theatre festivals also play a critical role here.

The best known of these is probably the Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival which runs all summer in Vancouver’s seaside Vanier Park. This, the Bard’s 19th season, features Twelfth Night, King Lear, The Tempest, and Titus Andronicus played in repertoire against a magnificent ocean and mountain backdrop.

Pressed for time? Check out the International One Minute Play Festival, part of the 5th Annual ArtsWells Festival in early August. More than 100 artists and performers will gather for this eclectic music, visual arts, and theatre event in the tiny Cariboo Chilcotin village of Wells. The play contest, originally a way to involve the many actors working at nearby Barkerville, has taken on a life of its own. “It’s amazing the response we get – people have submitted plays from across North America,” says Artistic Director Julie Fowler.

From there, theatre fans can head south to finish the season at the Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival and the Vancouver Fringe Festival, two celebrations of offbeat international comedy and drama in late August and early September, respectively.

Late summer is also the time for harvest festivals, which in BC means the sublime. Wine seminars, arts, music and more await at the Okanagan Summer Wine Festival at Silver Star Mountain Resort while three opportunities to celebrate local fare from home-grown producers will tease the palate at the Feast of Fields events (two are slated for the Lower Mainland and one on Vancouver Island).

Have a taste for something, er, more specific? Take in the September gathering for all things garlic during the aptly named Hills Garlic Festival in the tiny community of New Denver. Featuring live entertainment and plenty of party for the kids, one can check out products from around the world and sample some garlic-inspired treats. A tasty dénouement to BC's festival season.

Dates and contacts

Bard on the Beach Shakespeare Festival: May 29 – September 27, www.bardonthebeach.org.

Feast of Fields: Whistler, August 30, UBC Farm, September 7, Vancouver Island, September 21, www.ffcf.bc.ca.

Pemberton Festival: July 25-27, www.pembertonfestival.com.

Vancouver Fringe Festival: September 3-14, www.vancouverfringe.com.

Nanaimo Marine Festival and Bathtub Race: July 24-27 (race day is the 27th), www.bathtubbing.com.

Islands Folk Fest: July 25-27, www.folkfest.bc.ca.

Salt Spring Island Gumboot Dancers perform at various island festivals: www.saltspringtoday.com.

The Victoria Fringe Theatre Festival: August 21-31, www.intrepidtheatre.com.

Okanagan Wine Festivals: www.TheWineFestivals.com.

Salmon Arm Roots & Blues Festival: August 15-17, www.rootsandblues.ca.

ArtsWells Festival: August 1- 4, www.artswells.com.

Hills Garlic Festival: September 7, www.hillsgarlicfest.ca.

Kaslo Jazz Etc. Festival: August 1-3, www.kaslojazzfest.com.

The Edge of the World Music Festival: August 8-10, www.edgefestival.com.