Drum roll, please. Organizers and music aficionados are boasting that this year’s Squamish Valley Music Festival (SVMF) has made it to the big time, putting it on par with other major international festivals.
More than 34,000 people turned out for the last day of the four-day festival, August 7 to 10, to see rap superstar Eminem take to the stage. The gradual build-up helped organizers prepare for the big finale, the festival’s executive director Paul Runnals said.
“The weather was prefect, the crowd was happy. We didn’t have any traffic issues,” he said. “There was nothing that presented itself as a massive problem.”
Weeks before the event, safety fears swept through the province after one person died and 90 were hospitalized for drug overdoses at the Boonstock Music Festival in Penticton. The incident prompted the B.C. Coroner’s Office to issue a warning to festival-goers. SVMF’s onsite medical clinic saw approximately 1,750 people in its tents. Of that three patients were sent to Squamish General Hospital – one was a security guard with a cardiac condition, another was an individual who broke his foot trying to jump the festival’s fence.
SVMF organizers were pleased with how well the site worked. The separate stage areas maintained the same cozy feel of last year’s event, Runnals said, adding the manager of American hip hop band The Roots was so impressed with the atmosphere that he returned to the festival after waving goodbye to the band at the Vancouver International Airport.
After reviewing this year’s event, organizers will re-examine the festival’s size.
“I think it could grow a bit,” Runnals said, noting he’s thinking of an increase of approximately 5,000 people. “It is never going to be a 90,000 [ticket holder] Coachella.”
Organizers plan to seed the campgrounds in the Squamish Business Park in order to have them green for next year. As for the line-up, Runnals is already teasing music-lovers with what he says will be some “heavy hitters.”
“We had some important scouts at the festival,” he said.
Police didn’t deal with any major issues, Squamish RCMP Sgt. Waybe Pride said. Each night, officers dealt with approximately a dozen festival-goers in the drunk tank.
“We were pleasantly surpised,” he said.
The District of Squamish was impressed with the organization behind the event, Squamish Mayor Rob Kirkham said. Festival staff did a good job of keeping people out of wooded areas and its employees helped clean up popular hangouts, such as the Squamish River.
“All I can say is wow.”
