Road trip? Plan ahead with this go-to guide to B.C.’s summer festivals

Whether it’s to Metro Vancouver or on Vancouver Island, festival-goers love having destinations in mind to help plan their summer explorations.

For music lovers, here are some of July and August’s biggest and brightest festivals and what they have to offer.

VANCOUVER ISLAND

Laketown Shakedown, June 30 to July 2 at Laketown Ranch, Cowichan Valley, laketownshakedown.com

Laketown Shakedown is a three-day festival with camping and concerts held across three stages. Headlining the weekend are iconic ’90s rockers Third Eye Blind, Grammy-winners Portugal. The Man, and Reggae superstar Shaggy.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the Yukon’s 2023 music festival season

Vancouver Island Music Festival, July 14 to 16, Comox Valley Exhibition Grounds, islandmusicfest.com

Following the model of a traditional Western Canadian Folk Festival, Vancouver Island Music Festival has concerts, workshops, jam sessions and song circles.

The big headliner this year is Sarah McLachlan, along with performers like Rickie Lee Jones, Galactic, Daniel Lapp and Bros Landreth. Weekend passes are $240 (plus fees) or day passes start at $129 (plus fees). On-site camping is available via purchasable passes.

Salt Spring Pride Festival 2023 – July 28 to 31, Salt Spring Farmer’s Institute, Salt Spring Island, saltspringpridefestival.ca

Salt Spring’s four-day Pride Festival is housed at one festival site which includes a dance hall, outdoor stage, pop-up open mic, kid zone, covered booths, camping and shaded rest area. The weekend is all about celebrating love in its many forms.

Sunfest Country Music Festival – Aug. 3 to 6, Lake Cowichan, sunfestconcerts.com

Country lovers rejoice! B.C.’s top country music festival returns with a lineup that lives up to its hype, with stars like Blake Shelton, Lainey Wilson, Lindsay Ell, Lonestar and Jade Eagleson. All will take place at the expansive 275-acre Laketown Ranch.

Filberg Festival – Aug. 4 to 6, Comox, filbergfestival.com

Enjoy art, music and nature surrounded by beautiful gardens, heritage buildings and magnificent views of Comox Harbour. This year’s festival will once again feature more than 100 talented artisans and makers of fine art in a variety of media, plus exceptional Canadian musicians and entertainers.

Nanaimo Blues Festival, Aug. 10 to 13, Maffeo Sutton Park, Nanaimo, nanaimoblues.ca

From R&B, boogie-woogie, blues-rock, to Chicago blues, jump blues, soul & gospel and so much more, Nanaimo Blues Festival covers it all.

Taking place in Nanaimo’s scenic Maffeo Sutton Park, this year’s line-up includes The Legendary Downchild Blues Band, Sue Foley, Thornetta Davis Lady A – Blues Diva, Blue Moon Marquee, Tom Lavin & the Legendary Power Blues, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Miss Emily and Kenny “Blues Boss” Wayne. Tickets are $170.

Mid Island Co-op Rock the Park, Aug. 11 to 13, Parksville Community Park, Parksville, parksvillebeachfest.ca

This three-day music festival celebrates old-time rock and roll, classic rock and more. Featured cover bands are playing the music of ABBA, Bob Seger, David Bowie, Eagles, Elvis, Fleetwood Mac, Joe Cocker, John Fogerty/CCR, Neil Diamond, Santana and other favourites. Cost is $40 for a single-day adult pass or $75 for a three-day pass.

Arts on the Avenue, Aug. 26 & 27, First Avenue, Ladysmith, artsontheavenue.ca

A free festival now in its 25th year, Arts on the Avenue celebrates art via an evening Art Jam and the Arts on the Avenue Market. Interactive activities abound at Art Jam with a live paint competition, live music, a kids’ area and art stations. For those looking to shop, the market will be a chance to see all that local artists have to offer.

Harbour Blues ‘n Roots Festival, Aug. 25 to 27, downtown Victoria, jazzvictoria.ca/harbour-blues

Local, international and regional blues and R&B artists perform in both free and ticketed performances on the beautiful outdoor stage in Victoria’s Inner Harbour. This year’s lineup includes Allison Russell, The Blue And Gold, Ndidi O, Boy Golden and more.

MAINLAND FESTIVALS

Bass Coast, July 7 to 10, Merritt, basscoast.ca

In the words of Ivy Lab’s Gove Kidao, Bass Coast is “a place where people get silly to quite serious music.” This festival is all about electronic music and art, with art installations, live art, performers and workshops, all built on community and freedom of artistic expression. Attendees and performers are asked to keep in mind this year’s theme, which is “Avant Garden.”

Vancouver Folk Music Festival, July 14 to 16, Jericho Beach Park, Vancouver, thefestival.bc.ca

This folk festival is one of the city’s most popular summer events, drawing in more than 40,000 attendees annually. Some of the bigger names performing this year are Juno Award-winners Jim Byrnes and Steve Dawson, Jill Barber, and rising local stars like Krystle dos Santos and Samantha Parton. It’s also a place to discover folk music from around the globe.

Shambhala, July 21 to 24, Salmo, shambhalamusicfestival.com

As Canada’s premiere electronic music festival – sometimes referred to as “Canada’s Burning Man” – Shambhala stages over 200 artists, including some seriously big names this year like Griz, RL Grime, Zeds Dead, Liquid Stranger, John Summit, and Gigantic x NGHTMRE. Attendees can expect jaw-dropping stage design, dancing and lots of creative expression from both attendees and performers.

Burnaby Blues and Roots Festival, Aug. 12, Deer Lake Park, burnabybluesfestival.com

A large draw to this year’s festival is that it’s free, with an attractive lineup of Buffy Sainte-Marie, Allison Russell, The Dip, Boy Golden and The Trade-Offs. Tickets are not required for admission, but organizers note that the event site has capacity for 9,000 attendees.

Early Music Vancouver Summer Festival, July 27 to Aug. 5, earlymusic.bc.ca

Celebrating women composers, librettists, and performers of the past and present, this year’s festival theme is WOMENinSIGHT and offers more than 60 artists from around the globe to check out, with the festival’s focus on “early music,” including concerts dedicated to JS Bach, operas, and other styles from earlier eras of music creation.

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