Squamish Valley Music Festival’s campgrounds are selling out.
On Friday (May 2), the organizers of the Aug. 8 to 10 event announced that two of its four campgrounds are booked solid.
“The camping experience is a highlight of the festival for a lot of our guests,” SVMF executive director Paul Runnals said in a statement.
Last year, 7,500 festival-goers pitched their tents during the event. This year the festival is doubling in size and 14,000 campers are anticipated. The sold-out campgrounds are located in the Squamish Business Park, south of North Yards neighbourhood. There are still sites left in the Triangle Campground at Squamish Elementary School and the quiet, family camping area, the Square Campground at Mamquam Elementary School.
All campgrounds will be fully secured with an eight-foot fence and will have 24-hour security, medical and operational staff, Runnals said. The campgrounds are being managed by global event consultants the MCI Group.
“As our camping capacity has increased, we’ve worked really hard to ensure that our campgrounds will be safe and enjoyable for all involved,” he said.
Festival organizers paid a licence fee of $125,000 per year to the District of Squamish for the two municipally owned lots between Aspen Road and Pioneer Way that are being used for camping. After the festival, the properties must be left in a condition that is suitable for public use, the camping licence states.
In other SVMF news, festival organizers added nine new artists to the three-day festival and also announced six artists that will perform at the campers’ kickoff on Thursday, Aug. 7.
New artists joining the festival include: Nas (performing Illmatic), Chvrches, The Temper Trap, Phantogram, Tune-Yards, Magic!, James Vincent McMorrow, Wildlife and Reuben and the Dark.
It won’t be the first trip to the Sea to Sky Corridor for Nas, who performed at the 2013 Whistler Ski and Snowboard Festival.
“These new artist additions represent a continuation of our grand vision for the festival and its programming, showcasing all contemporary genres of music,” said Erik Hoffman, senior vice president of talent for Live Nation Canada. “This will be an unprecedented festival experience and music sampling from around the globe and our own backyard.”
Performing at the campers’ kickoff are A Tribe Called Red, Herobust, Kastle, The Strumbellas, Heroburst, The Matinee and Sleepy Tom.
Both A Tribe Called Red and The Matinee hit the stage at last year’s SVMF.
For more information on the event, visit www.squamishfestival.com.
