If you’re in Squamish on a summer evening in July, you might hear the sound of something new in the air.
The Squamish Wind Festival for the Arts will be blowing into town again for a fifth year from July 26 to 28 in Squamish’s downtown Junction Park and O’Siyam Pavillion.
The three-day music, art and culture festival is a highlight for residents and visitors alike. “It’s bustling. It brings a lot of life into the park,” says Cydney M. Lyons, chair of the Squamish Arts Council.
“It complements the other events that happen in Squamish throughout the summer.”
When the festival was founded, it was meant to combine wind sports and activities with a music festival. Since then, the festival has moved on to focus on the arts and culture component, but the “wind” aspect of the name is still relevant.
“Squamish is windy, and that’s especially true in July in the downtown park,” says Lyons. “I think wind can be considered a piece of Squamish culture — what we do here as a community with wind sports.”
Thursday, July 26 will feature emerging artists with an evening performance series hosted by Amped in the Park.
Anyone from very young performers to those with a little more experience will be performing, and the genres depend on the artists who sign up.
“We’ve had everything from young punk rock, all the way up to a father and son duo doing folk rock, to performers who are just travelling in Squamish for the summer,” she says. “It’s been a complete range.”
For Friday, there will be an open-air movie. But before the sun sets, there will be plenty of pre-show activities, including arts and crafts and activities for children, starting around 6:30 p.m.
Last year that included a bouncy castle, crafts, face painting, and an opera performance. Food trucks are also expected to be on site. And to cap off the festival, Saturday morning’s activities will include live music performances with B.C. musicians.
Children’s performer Ira Pettle will perform music and spearhead interactive games. The rest of Saturday’s musical lineup is still in the works. There will also be live art demonstrations, and an artist market featuring local artists and artisans on Saturday morning.
And did we mention it’s all free? “It’s free, good place to come with kids, to enjoy some music with art and activities, and discover more about the creative community and have a really fun time,” says Lyons.
“The whole point of the festival is to give open arms to the community at large, and the arts community, and get us together in a space where we can just be and talk about art and culture, and celebrate.”
The Squamish Wind Festival for the Arts will be at Junction Park and O’Siyam Pavillion from Thursday, July 26 to Saturday, July 28, with musical performances on the Thursday evening, a movie on the Friday, and music and arts activities on the Saturday morning.
For more information, visit squamishwindfestival.com. •
