With a year of experience under its belt, the second annual Blessed Coast music, yoga and arts festival is set to return to Brackendale鈥檚 Cheekye Ranch this weekend with a bigger, better cultural experience for attendees.
鈥淲e had a full year to plan, and we鈥檝e got a bigger team, bigger budget, and more time to put into it,鈥� said lead festival organizer Kala Siddha.
The event, which runs from July 22 to 24, combines riverside camping with acoustic singer-songwriters, electronic music, workshops, yoga classes and children鈥檚 activities, all under the umbrella of this year鈥檚 theme, 鈥淟ove for the Earth 鈥� Sustainability and Stewardship.鈥�
鈥淲e love the land out here so much that we鈥檝e been trying to make our festival 100 per cent renewable powered,鈥� said Siddha. 鈥淲e鈥檙e happy to be able to showcase what鈥檚 possible in having really sustainable events in the valley and around the world.鈥�
While last year鈥檚 entire event took place within one area, this year鈥檚 festival setup has expanded to include a whole new dance floor and main stage, along with a separate camping area. Organizers have secured an open-air tent that will be fully dedicated to yoga practice and have developed three different sacred space lodges that will be hosted by indigenous elders and medicine carriers. 鈥淭his is something a few festivals around the world do, but it鈥檚 something that we鈥檙e really, really passionate about,鈥� said Siddha.
The addition of an acoustic daytime stage in the camping area and the 鈥渆pic new main stage鈥� will be more than suitable to accommodate the many artists 鈥� including the popular singer-songwriter Trevor Hall 鈥� set to perform throughout the three days. 鈥淚 think people will be blown away by the music this year and by the whole production level at the main stage,鈥� said Siddha. 鈥淚t鈥檚 going to once-in-a-lifetime experience.鈥�
This increased production value and impressive lineup will undoubtedly help Blessed Coast fill the Squamish-Valley-Music-Festival-sized gap left in the region, following organizers鈥� announcement in March that this year鈥檚 event would be cancelled.
鈥淲hen we heard that, we were happy to know we鈥檇 be able to set an example for what we want our festival to be like, and it gave us more inspiration to really put a lot of love into how we organized the event,鈥� said Siddha.
While it might fill a gap, don鈥檛 expect Blessed Coast to fit the typical alcohol-fueled, major music festival mould.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all about each of the guests having a really awesome experience. We鈥檙e not going to go much over 700 people this year - we鈥檙e aiming for 500-700 people - so it鈥檚 a super intimate gathering where everybody gets to really enjoy everything,鈥� explained Siddha. 鈥淥ur focus is on giving people so many new ways to celebrate, so many new ways to feel good, and to not serve alcohol and encourage self-destructive forms of celebration.鈥�
鈥淟et鈥檚 really see if we can feel better than we鈥檝e ever felt in our lives after spending three days together,鈥� he added.
Full weekend passes can be purchased, as well passes for each day. For more information about the festival, go to .
