Whistler had the 2010 Games; Pemberton had its mammoth music festival. Now Squamish is getting a big-name musical event of its own, as the brand.LIVE group and District of Squamish on Wednesday (June 16) announced the creation of the LIVE at Squamish concert.
Set to take place Saturday and Sunday of the Labour Day long weekend, the new European-style music festival is expected to draw about 10,000 to 12,000 spectators to a multifaceted, three-stage venue on the Loggers Sports Grounds in Brennan Park.
Paul Runnals, executive producer of the new festival and senior vice-president of the Vancouver-based brand.LIVE, said a group official has had conversations over many months with Squamish Mayor Greg Gardner about the idea of creating an event in Squamish that could draw cultural tourism into the corridor, and give the town an event over which it could feel ownership.
Organizers saw in Squamish a young community with economic activity "that was probably ready for something like this to happen," and a community that seemed to have some sentiments of having been passed over by the Olympic experience, Runnals said.
With big-name events such as the Pemberton Festival, Warped Tour and Virgin Festival having slipped off the schedule, LIVE at Squamish is expected to be "filling a hole," Runnals said.
More than 20 international and local musicians will appear on the festival's three stages over the weekend. The lineup is scheduled to be announced Monday (June 21), but Runnals said the producers feel they've put together a "pretty thoughtful and compelling lineup" of artists in a wide range of genres, including indie, rock, pop, electronic and blues.
"This is the largest music festival of its kind to come to Squamish, and we are very pleased to host such an exciting event," Mayor Greg Gardner said in a Wednesday statement. "Squamish is an ideal location for the music festival We also have new and expanded accommodation facilities that will help to make this weekend event an incredible experience."
Runnals said the brand.LIVE group, which has produced events such as the 2005 and 2009 Grey Cup festivals and the 2009 Summer Sessions concert at Ambleside Park with Sarah McLachlan, Neil Young and Sheryl Crow, is entering the first year of a five-year plan for the LIVE at Squamish event.
"We've built this on a five-year business plan," he said, adding that the funding and structures are in place to support that vision. While the producers obviously hope the first year will go well and educate people to what the event is all about, he said, "we're not living and dying on Year 1."
The site for the festival is expected to encompass the Loggers Sports grounds and neighbouring Hendrickson Fields for an approximately 350,000-square-foot venue offering a mix of programming, including the exposure to eclectic musical acts in the festival format, art installations and food and beverage spots, Runnals said.
The 2008 Pemberton Festival, produced by Live Nation, brought about 40,000 music fans and some of the world's biggest acts to the corridor, but the event has not returned since that inaugural year. Runnals, who produced the dance tent at the Pemberton Festival, said LIVE at Squamish organizers have paid attention to "the things that have worked and not worked" in these kinds of events.
Sea to Sky residents will be offered first crack at ticket sales in a 48-hour period starting Monday at 10 a.m. Locals should log on to liveatsquamish.com, click the "Buy Tickets" tab and enter the pre-sale code "squamishresident" to gain advance access.
